To Restore Pride
by Astral Cloud
Summary: A faction of griffons claiming to be the restored Griffon Kingdom launches a surprise attack, leaving Equestria without a princess and the Crystal Empire without its Heart. Follow Rainbow Dash, Princess Luna, and Gilda as they try to endure a war over pride. (Set before Season 6 Finale)
1. Premonition

**1**

 **Premonition**

"Come now, Luna."

A white filly gestured to open balcony doors with a flourish of a wing. A smaller blue filly stuck out her bottom lip and sat resolutely. The white filly smiled and walked over to her sister.

"Luna," she said gently, "Equestria needeth it to be morning."

"Celestia, do we have to?"

"I fear so," said Celestia in mock graveness. "The night hath been too long already. There are ponies who awaiteth the light of day." She motioned for Luna to stand. "And it is too late for thee already. Thou shouldst have been asleep by now."

"But I am not..." Luna fought against yawn, but it won. Celestia smiled, and Luna crossed her hooves. "I am _not_ tired."

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Luna."

"I mean it! I..." Another yawn cut her off, and she looked at Celestia smirking. Luna stood and sighed dramatically, walking dutifully to the balcony. Celestia chuckled to herself and followed.

The moon sat lazily above the mountains in the west, and an azure sky was already appearing in the east. The few clouds present were soft shades of pink and purple. The early air was still chilly, and Celestia shivered, making Luna giggle.

"I suppose I earned that." Celestia turned and faced east. "Now, let us do our duties, shall we?" Luna nodded and turned west, their backs now to each other. They lit their horns and, with their magic, surrounded the sun and moon. Luna still struggled to keep the moon on a straight and graceful path down. She glanced behind at her sister, and it seemed almost second nature to Celestia. Finally, Luna managed to push her moon out of sight. The stars above took their cue and, one by one, quickly vanished.

"Alright, Tia." She closed her eyes and stretched her wings, turning around. "I am off to bed now. Good—" Luna stopped. Celestia hadn't moved. The sun had sunken back down behind the mountains. Luna timidly walked to her sister's side. "Tia? Art thou alright?" Celestia didn't so much as flinch. Luna stomped on the ground. "Tia! What art thou doing?" She went to nudge Celestia with a hoof, but she passed right through her.

She retracted her hoof quickly and froze, staring at it. "Tia?" She looked at her sister's face. Celestia's eyes were glowing white, but the rest of her face was expressionless. A powder began softly swirling around Luna's hooves. She looked down and traced them back to her sister's hooves. Her eyes widened, ears falling flat. Celestia was turning to dust.

"Tia!" Luna yelled, turning back to her sister's face. "W-what hath happened to thee?" Celestia said nothing. She stood, motionless, not even breathing, staring at where her sun was moments before. Luna, desperate to do something, ran to hug her sister, hoping to make it all better. She passed through, kicking up more dust, and she skidded across the marble floor. Luna felt the air get colder. She looked up and saw the clouds congregating, no longer colorful, darkening the sky. The wind picked up, howling around the balcony. Celestia cried glowing tears yet was still stoic, growing fainter and blurring into the surroundings.

"Tia! No!" Luna stood and watched in horror. "Do not leave me! I do not want thee to leave! I cannot be alone again!" Luna began sobbing and tried in vain to hold her sister. "Is this my fault? What did I do? Tia? Tia! Talk to me!"

The sky grew darker. Celestia faded even more. Luna tried to hug her sister again, but again felt nothing. Celestia looked at her, now with a faint smile on her face. Luna stopped, staring at her sister. Celestia spoke, but Luna couldn't hear over the wind. She held her breath and stood on the tips of her hooves. Celestia appeared to sigh, parts of her chest now disappearing. "Luna. This was not thy doing. I will be fine."

"No!" Luna's small voice broke. "Do not say that!"

"We shall meet again someday," Celestia said, her mane and tail mere wisps.

"Please!" Luna sobbed. "Do not leave me!"

Most of Celestia's body had now vanished. "Do not be discouraged, for thou shalt have strength. I love thee."

"No, Tia, wait! Tia!"

Celestia closed her eyes, and the wind blew the remaining specks of her visage away.

"Tia! Do not go! Tia! _Tia!"_

The sky, giving what little light it could, had all at once become dark, hushing the wind, engulfing Luna in silent blackness.

* * *

Luna sat upright, breathing heavily. She brushed away her flowing mane from her face and glanced quickly around her room; everything was okay. Her clock read a quarter past five, and the sun was suspended in the western sky. She shakily lied back on her bed, still attempting to catch her breath.

"How...? What...? What was that?" She felt her forehead. It was warm and coated in a thin layer of sweat. Wiping it off, she closed her eyes in thought. "I have not had a nightmare since... since the Tantabus. But no..." Luna rolled to the side of the bed and got up, passing over her black shoes. "It could not have been that."

She paced her room feverishly, trying to retain her dream. "We had been fillies," she muttered, "Celestia raised the sun... no, did she? Yes... yes, she did. But then it went back down. Then she disappeared... and everything went dark." She felt something was missing from her memory but was unsure of what.

She sat back on her bed, somewhat defeated. What could it mean? She looked at the door and thought about telling Celestia. What would she know? Maybe it could wait until dinner. She glanced back at the clock. That would be over an hour from now. Should she tell Celestia? After all, if it was only a dream, why worry her about it? She huffed. It wasn't. She was sure it wasn't. Deciding it couldn't wait, she stood and went through her door.

She walked down a flight of stairs and turned into a hallway, racking her brain as to where her sister might be. She thought she recalled something about a meeting with some dignitaries... or was that the day before? Or tomorrow? She shook her head, trying to rattle the weariness out of her system. She remembered now. The meeting was being held today. As she approached the end of the hallway, she opened two solid oak doors. She walked past a guard, but he stopped her.

"Princess Luna?" he asked. She stopped, feigning a smile. He glanced around himself and behind her. "Is everything alright? Why are you up so early? And where are your, uh..." He gestured to his head and head. "Regalia?"

She felt her head and mentally kicked herself. She stared at the marble floor, trying to come up with a viable reason. "Er... I was just famished. Terribly so. Is... is my sister available? For an early dinner, that is?"

The guard scratched his head. "Well, I'd think so. She should be done with her meeting in..." He pulled out a pocket watch. "Around five minutes or so. She's probably sending them off from the main staircase right now, actually."

Luna gave a sheepish grin. "Many thanks." She turned and resumed walking, setting her crown and necklace to the corner of her mind. As she got out of sight of the guard, she began to trot, her hoofsteps echoing in the sterile marble hallway.

As she passed the many paintings and busts of this or whoever noteworthy pony, she turned over in her mind questions about her dream. How would she start telling it? Why did Celestia disappear? Why was it in the past? What did the wind, the sun disappearing, the clouds, and everything else mean, if anything at all? Why did _she_ have a nightmare? Shouldn't she be able to control her dreams best of all? She then thought she might be wasting her time. Who else was better than the princess of the night at interpreting dreams? What could her sister add that she wouldn't already know?

What really worried Luna _was_ how she interpreted the meaning. She could only see it one of two ways: Nightmare Moon was coming back, or Celestia was going to die—maybe a combination of the two, she thought rather helplessly. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She was just spooking herself. There's no use in making things seem more dire than they probably were. Besides, there would be no harm in seeking an outside opinion. Maybe a more fresh and untainted point of view would cast a more positive spin on the dream, or at least reassure her it wasn't as bad as she made it out to be, or just _something_ different.

While she was lost in her thoughts, meandering down the hallway, she nearly fell down the stairs leading to the landing where her sister would be. After regaining her balance, she properly walked down the stairs. Luckily, the dignitaries seemed to be leaving, and Celestia was alone.

"Tia?" Luna called down the banister. Celestia looked up and seemed surprised at Luna's presence. Luna cleared her throat. "Perchance, could we have our dinner early today?"

* * *

"So, how was the meeting, Tia?"

It was now a quarter to six. The sun drifted ever closer to the horizon. Celestia was having her evening tea, and Luna her coffee, both waiting in the dining hall for their meals. Luna had, while the drinks were being prepared, made herself more presentable to her sister, now wearing her necklace and crown. She wanted to tell her sister of the dream, but couldn't quite figure out how to reach the subject tactfully.

Celestia shrugged. "It was quite interesting, actually. I met two ambassadors of countries of which I have not heard from in quite some time. I think they might surprise even you." Luna slowly became more occupied planning her own part of the conversation, still hearing but not really listening.

Celestia sipped a bit of her tea and set the cup down. "The first to arrive was a little blue dragon named Ember, who is now apparently the new Dragon Lord. Twilight told me a little about Ember after her excursion there. Yet, when she introduced herself, I could not help but be both surprised and impressed she would visit so soon after receiving her new title. She was very formal for a dragon, and it also surprised me as to how different she was compared to the previous Dragon Lord, whom she told me was her father.

"Now, the second one, who was actually an entire day early, was a griffon by the name of Greta, I believe. She wasn't a government official per se, but she represented a group of griffons across the sea and requested a meeting with me nonetheless. She seemed to be new to her job as well, but she was nowhere near as prepared as Ember. She was nervous, stuttering a little, but she managed to maintain her composure."

Upon hearing Celestia sip more tea, Luna stepped out of her thoughts momentarily. "What did they ask?"

Celestia's face became pensive. "It was rather serious. Ember wanted a formal treaty between our nations, something Twilight had hinted would happen. Greta wanted only to speak with me, or rather warn me of something. They both said there was discontent in their countries. Since Greta had arrive a day early, and we were already pressed for time, the two agreed to have their meetings combined with me.

"Ember was rather straight-forward; she claimed there were dragons that would have pillaged and scorched our nation had she not earned her title. She knows her rule is unpopular with the dragons, but with her father still there, all seems stable. Greta said her situation was similar but degenerating rapidly. No one is really in control there, but an anti-Equestrian faction is rapidly gaining popularity, something she very much insisted I be aware of."

"Wait," Luna said, her dream being pushed to the back of her mind, "I thought you and Twilight Sparkle were at a Friendship Summit in Griffonstone not long ago."

Celestia nodded. "We were, and I thought it went well. When I asked Greta about this, she said the faction's influence hadn't made its way to Griffonstone yet. Granted, there _were_ a few there who perhaps thought the whole event to be..." Celestia spun a hoof in the air in thought. "... _distasteful_ , but there wasn't open hatred towards us."

"So what did you say to them, Greta and Ember?"

"Well, I dealt with Ember first, telling her to come back in two days' time to discuss with both me and you the finer details of a treaty. As for Greta, however..." Celestia tapped her hoof softly on the table. "I wasn't sure _what_ to say. I asked her if she believes the faction is hostile, or rather, if they had the means with which to carry out an attack. Ember actually spoke up then. She said, on occasion, bands of griffons would murder a dragon and loot their caves.

"Greta then said the faction often holds rallies in an attempt to stir up hatred in the griffons. I asked how many griffons actually took part in these gatherings, and she guessed around three hundred or so attended the last one she saw. I then asked what she would like us to do, and she recommended a few actions. Speak with the faction leader to try and diffuse tensions with them. Send more guards to the eastern coast and tighten security there. Give a notice to Manehattan and the other costal cities to be vigilant."

She shook her head. "Don't you see, Luna?" Luna looked at Celestia, hoping she wasn't just asked a question. "Greta wouldn't say it outright, but she wants us to prepare for a possible war."

Luna choked a bit on some of her coffee. She cleared her throat. "War? But... but that makes no sense. We have been at peace with all for centuries." She paused, thinking. "Well, nearly. There _was_ that incident with the prince of Yakyakistan, but war was only ever declared, never fought. Why would the griffons want war?"

Celestia shrugged and shook her head solemnly. "I assured Greta we would take the necessary actions to maintain peace between our nations. She then asked, rather sheepishly, if everything works out for the better, if the remnants of the Griffon Kingdom could merge and become a part of Equestria."

"Really? Could that be possible?"

"Well, Twilight said her friends, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, went there a few months ago, and they mentioned the last griffon king had died several decades ago. Their account confirms Greta's claim, that there isn't any government in Griffonstone. I told Greta if the faction there does simmer down, and if the majority of the griffons agree with it, we would see if a union of some sort or even a peaceful annexation could work out."

Celestia attempted to sip some more of her tea, which she realized had run dry. Pouring herself some more, she turned to her sister. "Anyway, enough of this talk of dread. How are you, Luna? Why did you want an early dinner today?"

All that time she stalled for was lost with talk of war. Luna sighed. "Well, I... I dreamt about you. Dying, I believe."

Celestia stared blankly for a moment. "Oh." After a pause, she chuckled nervously. "So the dread continues. Well, Luna," she took a sip of tea, "how did I die?"

Luna's ears fell flat. "That is what bothers me. We were fillies, and it was early morning." She looked down. "After we had done our duties, the sun hid back behind the mountains again, and it grew terribly dark and windy. Then you started just to... vanish." She looked back at Celestia. "Turning into dust. Your eyes glowed, and for a while, you did not speak. I could not hold you or hug you or..." She shook her head. "But then you told me everything would be okay, that it was not my fault, and then you disappeared. Everything went black, and then I woke up. It felt so real. Too real.

"I do not think it is just a dream, or, rather, a nightmare. I fear it is a vision of sorts, that it foretells of something bad for you. I cannot help but think this means something more, but at the same time, I am afraid of what it could represent. Why were we fillies? Why did the sun disappear? Why did you turn to dust? I..." She winced. "I cannot help but think it has something to do with Nightmare Moon."

Celestia thought for a moment, studying her sister's face. "Now, Luna," she said soothingly, "however terrible or real it seemed, it was just a bad dream." Luna groaned inwardly, and Celestia continued. "What constitutes a vision is different than a dream or nightmare. You remember well of Tirek's return. That was no fantasy. Us being fillies in your dream already disproves of it being a vision. But, I can assure you, I'm not going to die any time now."

Luna closed her eyes. She wasn't going to get anywhere with this. "Thanks," she said finally, cutting off her sister's reassurances. "I shall see what is holding up dinner." She got up and trotted towards the kitchens. As soon as she was out of sight, she turned and ambled down a different hallway, her head low and hooves dragging.

Her thoughts drifted between the dream and Celestia, her feelings between anxiety and annoyance. She debated with herself on going back and trying to reexplain the dream. She assured herself Celestia would get it, that she would understand and not simply brush it off. Maybe she didn't emphasize her worries enough, or perhaps there wasn't enough detail for Celestia to understand what it could mean past a nightmare. Or, more likely, Celestia was right. She might not have sensed anything was wrong to begin with. Despite how much she reasoned with herself, a sense of unease lingered.

Luna passed a pair of open doors to a balcony and stopped. Looking around, she realized with slight amusement she had wandered to the other side of the castle. Walking outside, she leaned on the balcony rail. The sky was already darkening on its own. She lit her horn and began idly dotting the evening stars.

She let out a heavy sigh. It wasn't just a dream. She knew, somewhere, it wasn't. But when she pondered back on what it was, what it could mean, she shuddered. She soon just wanted to forget about it, pushing it down into the depths of her subconscious, but it would resurface with new questions and fears.

She paused to look at her sky. She had placed too many stars, or at least too many before the moon itself should be up. Shrugging, she lit her horn again and caused the tiny lights to ripple like sparkling lily pads in a deep blue lake. Her magic aura sifted between each star, making it dance in the sky. Luna loved her little pastime. Sometimes, she would idly trace lines or circles as she was thinking; other times, she would act like a conductor of an orchestra and make grand sweeps in the sky.

Somepony cleared their throat behind her, and Luna yelped. Spinning around, she saw Celestia chuckling. Luna glared and smiled. "Tia!" She pushed Celestia's shoulder, laughing too. "You know not to sneak up on me like that."

"Oh, come now. It's not _my_ fault you're so jittery. You didn't even eat dinner."

Luna shrugged, leaning on the rail again. "I can eat later."

 _"We_ can eat later."

Luna turned to Celestia. "You ate not?"

Celestia walked over to the rail. "I came looking for you."

Luna waved a dismissing hoof. "I am fine." She looked up. "'Tis about time, is it not?"

Celestia nodded. They lit their horns, turned, and stood back to back. Luna, for a fleeting moment, had a flashback of her dream, and she tried not to say anything, shaking the feeling off. They were fine, she assured herself. This wasn't her dream. It was evening, not morning. They were adults, not fillies. All was well. Celestia lowered the sun ever so gently below the horizon. Luna raised the moon to its proper position in the night sky, making it a new moon to better emphasize the glittering specks of light.

Celestia looked around at the sky. She opened her mouth to speak, then shook her head slightly. She turned to Luna, who had dotted a few more stars. "Oh, you did a marvelous job." Luna smiled. Her stomach grumbled, and she looked at her sister. Celestia smirked and nodded, and they walked back to the dining hall.


	2. Fruition

**2**

 **Fruition**

"I swear I'm gonna kill her when she gets back."

Gilda paced around a humble living room, casting worried glances at the front door every so often. Her grandfather Gruff sat in a corner on a well-worn chair, making a single golden bit dance between his talons. An old guitar lay next to him, and mix-match candles here and there cast flickering lights on the wooden walls. An old grandfather clock ticked away next to a sagging couch opposite of Gruff.

"Bah," Gruff said from the corner. "You don't mean that."

"I don't need a lecture."

He yawned loudly. "And ya ain't getting one." He flipped the bit in the air and caught it with his other claw. "I dunno why yer gettin' so worked up anyhow. Greta can take care of herself."

"Yeah, I know, but..." She gestured to the window. "They're not exactly on good terms with her."

"Quit yer worryin' about her. She's fine." He hopped off his chair and stretched. "I'm gonna hit the hay. Holler when she comes back." He waved and walked upstairs.

"G'night, Grampa."

As soon as he was out of earshot, she began pacing again. Where could she be? Gilda had checked all over Griffonstone that day, trying not to act conspicuous, but couldn't find her anywhere. Maybe she had left early for Equestria. No, no, Greta wouldn't do that. Not by herself. Gilda began to tremble. That only leaves the Pride. What if they took her? Or killed her? What if they tied her wings together and threw her into the abyss? Gilda stopped, blinking away tears. Where was she?

She yawned and cursed herself. The grandfather clock read eleven thirty. She sniffed and slowly walked over to the couch. She sat down, making it creak, keeping her eyes trained on the door. Any moment now, she thought to herself. After a few idle minutes, Gilda shifted to let her head rest on the seat next to her. All was silent save for the clock. She let her gaze wander from the door to a candle's flame. She watched it flicker, slowly nibbling on the wax below it. Gilda's eyes slowly shut, and the door was forgotten.

Before she knew it, the doorknob rattled, and she jerked awake. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was now around ten past one. She leapt from the couch, faced the door, and crouched. The door creaked opened, and a gust of night air made nearby candle flames dance. Greta walked in, her green and white scarf wrapped over her beak. She shivered, kicking the door shut behind her. Gilda straightened up and frowned, tapping a claw on the ground. Greta pulled her scarf down and yawned. Gilda cleared her throat, and Greta's eyes snapped to her.

"Oh." Greta faked a smile. "H-hi, Gilda. I, uh," she scratched her head. "I'm back."

Gilda swished her tail. "Yeah, I can tell." She stared at Greta silently.

"So." Greta snapped a claw. "I'm gonna—"

"—tell me what the hell you were doing?"

"What? I thought—"

"No. You didn't. You didn't even leave so much as a note."

"I-I'm sorry Gilda, I thought—"

Gilda raised a claw to silence her. "It doesn't matter anymore. It's done." She walked over to Greta. "But what were you doing? Where the hell did you go? I looked all over for you. I thought maybe the Pride—"

"I talked with Celestia."

Gilda stuttered for a moment. _"What?!"_ She lowered her voice and pulled Greta to her. "You went to Equestria by yourself? I thought we were going tomorrow! You could've gotten yourself killed!"

Greta huffed. "You've seen what the Pride's been up to, running drills every day."

"Yeah, and today they've been... gone." It clicked in Gilda's mind, and her eyes widened.

"Exactly! We couldn't—" Greta started. "Wait, what? They're _gone?!"_

"Grampa Gruff told me that most of them flew off at dawn."

"Most meaning?"

"I dunno. Gale's still here, along with his guard."

Greta's eyes widened. "That's still like three hundred griffons!"

Gilda could tell what she was thinking and raised a dismissive claw. "Don't worry. They aren't gonna attack Equestria or something stupid like that." She began walking to the kitchen and motioned to Greta. "They went north."

"Oh," Greta said, narrowing her eyebrows. She followed Gilda. "North?"

Gilda shrugged. She spied a plate of leftover scones and grabbed one, tossing it to Greta. She grabbed a scone for herself and took a large bite. "Grampa Gruff said they were carrying barrels."

"Barrels?"

Gilda nodded. "Yep. Dunno what they're for." She took another bite of her scone and huffed. "I'm just glad you got back alright. I was worried about you. I wasn't sure if they, like, took you or killed you or something."

Greta looked down. "Sorry."

"You're fine." Gilda finished her scone, licking her talons clean. "So you told Celestia about the Pride and everything?"

"Yeah, as much as I could remember."

"Good," Gilda nodded. "That's good. And she listened? She didn't like brush you off or anything?"

"Not at all. There was this dragon at the meeting who backed up one of my claims, so I think Celestia's taking it seriously."

Gilda smiled. "Glad you didn't screw it up for us."

Greta looked around. "Uh... where's my guitar?"

"Oh." Gilda pointed back to the living room. "Gruff was looking at it."

"Hey!" A voice called from upstairs, startling the two.

Gilda shook her head. "Speaking of..."

Gruff ambled down the stairs, chuckling to himself. "Would ya look at that? Gilda hasn't killed ya."

Greta started laughing and nudged Gilda. "You didn't mention you were going to kill me."

"I _said_ I was worried about you."

* * *

Luna's night had now completely enveloped the sky in a violet shell. Grey clouds occasionally hovered in front of the tiny stars, and small ripples continued to make them dance and shimmer. After eating a somewhat cold dinner and bidding her sister good night, Luna had returned to the balcony. That was only a few hours past. The dream still nipped at the corners of her mind, no matter how far back she tried to push it away. Her calming method no longer worked, but she was too preoccupied to stop. She tried to think of other things in hope they would replace her dream. She thought back to the ambassadors Celestia had talked about.

"Why would the dragons seek to wage war against us?" she asked herself. "We have done them no wrong. We let many a dragon lie in our caves without much question. We even allow them our skies for their migrations. Perhaps they merely want our riches; I have heard stories of their avarice."

She shook her head softly. "But wealth alone surely cannot be reason enough for war. What else would they want? Though, I suppose we know little of their culture. Perhaps we _have_ wronged them unwittingly. But if that be the case, then why not send a letter of their complaints or protests for us to redress? An escalation to conflict seems..." She grasped for the words. "Ignorant. Imprudent. Foolish." She sighed. "Maybe they are simply not ones to negotiate. 'Tis a good thing their Dragon Lord has foresight enough to rule wisely. I hope we shall be able to work something of a deal betwixt us."

Luna made the stars swirl slowly around the new moon. "And as for the griffons... Hmph." She rested her head on the railing. The Griffon Kingdom sparked and fizzled before she had returned from the moon, so her knowledge was limited, anecdotal at best. "I knew not they were without proper governance," she said. "How could that come to pass? What happened to them? How could a nation such as that collapse upon itself with nary a word to the rest of the world?" She frowned slightly. "And now a hostile faction has arisen. But _why?"_ She pursed her lips. She tried to think of any possible reasons, but each one snuffed itself out. She simply did not know.

Eventually, a bit resigned, Luna brought forward the dream from her mind and began to give it thought once again. She relived it in her mind as best she could. Her thoughts turned to her sister, and a new line of reason struck her. "Celestia is the one who has visions between us," she said quietly. "She has been forewarned of many things before, such as Tirek. Perhaps my nightmare _was_ just that: a nightmare. A bad dream."

She grimaced slightly and shook her head. "No. No, it _cannot_. It has grieved me too much to be simply a dream." She sighed. "But _why? Why_ do I feel this way?" She felt every possible track had already been well-traveled by her thoughts. It demanded notice, but she knew not where to direct her mind. The vision had firmly planted itself in her brain, and there it remained, unyielding.

She toyed with the stars some more and gave up thinking about it. "Well, I guess I ought to..." she yawned. "I ought to dreamwalk, then. Unless Tia has left me some papers to take care of. Maybe there's something about the dragons and griff—"

She yelped and collapsed on her knees. Her heart. Something was wrong with her heart. It was twisting, she knew it. She clutched at her chest, feeling slow leaden thuds against it. Her entire body prickled with sweat. The knot was getting tighter, and she couldn't breathe. Then, as sudden as its onset, the pain and terror left her. Taking in great gulps of air, she shakily stood up again, wiping her forehead. She felt her chest, and her heart beat on. She leaned on the railing again, trying to steady herself.

* * *

Twilight was awoken by a white glow and a faint chime emanating from her bed. She groggily raised her head and yawned. Upon pulling the covers away, she sighed and hit her head on the pillow. "Right now?" she muttered, rolling over and squinting at her clock. "It's barely midnight." With another yawn, she sat on her bed and hopped down, stumbling a little. Rubbing her eyes, she stretched out her wings and legs, still murmuring about the hour.

* * *

"W-w-what..." Luna could hardly speak, still quivering somewhat. She stood in a stupor, swaying a little as she regained herself. She made herself stare at the distant stars until they stopped jittering in her eyes. She felt her heart, afraid it would knot up again, but it seemed to carry on as if nothing had occurred. She finally had power over her voice, but she knew not what to say.

A small creak behind her made her jump. She spun around, thinking it to be Celestia again, but saw a brown griffon in the now open doorway. They both started, and for a moment, did nothing but stare at one another. Luna, extending her wings somewhat, was about to speak when the griffon smiled. Pitching his head up, he let pierce through the still air a terrible screech. Before Luna could think, the griffon turned and pounced on her, both going over the railing and spinning downwards.

The sky and ground flickered between their gazes. The griffon clasped his claws on her wings, but Luna kicked at his stomach with her hind legs. He let go, and Luna was able to punch him across his beak. Luna turned down and saw the ground rushing to her. Spreading her wings, she tried slowing herself down, extending her legs out. She touched down too hard; her left front leg buckled, and she tumbled and skidded across the cobblestone for a few yards, scattering her shoes and crown, before ending up on her stomach.

* * *

When Twilight opened the door to the Map's room, it came alive, and six cutie marks appeared and orbited the small replica of her castle. She glanced at it, then did a double take. "Wait, _all_ of us?" She waved her hoof in the cutie marks, making them fizzle as she passed through them, but they remained. "Why all of us? Why here?" She flew over to her chair, worried now, hoping the others would soon arrive.

* * *

Coughing, Luna shakily tried standing up, but she fell down again with a cry. A sharp pain stabbed from her left hoof through to her chest, and with a start, she counted an extra joint on her left foreleg. Her rapid heart beat only seemed to encourage it, making the piercing ache spread. With a fuzzy mind, she heaved herself up on three legs. The griffon lay a few yards back, unmoving, a small pool of red growing around him. She barely registered the other scrapes and bruises she accrued upon landing. Before her mind had another moment's respite, more cries rang out from above.

She looked up and gasped. The stars above had almost completely vanished. "Are t-those..." she sputtered through gritted teeth, _"a-all_ griffons?!" She heard something whistling from above, getting closer, but couldn't discern anything. Then, with a loud crunch and whoosh, the object hit the ground in front of her and broke open, a giant yellow fireball engulfing the street and nearby buildings in flames. Luna immediately felt the heat and jumped back, raising a wing to save her eyes and throat.

She heard more whistles and more cries, and one thought eclipsed everything else in her mind: run. She stumbled, forgetting for a moment her now useless leg. After a few haphazard flaps, she was back in the air, getting as far from her tower as she could.

* * *

Twilight let her eyes wander around the room. Aside from the roots above and the map itself glowing, the entire room was dark. The windows let in tiny pinpricks of light from the hundreds of stars outside, and the sky they were set against almost perfectly blended in with the darkened walls of the castle. Twilight chuckled; she could barely make out the mountains in the—

Her eyes snapped open. Her heart fluttering, she leapt off the chair and glided towards the window. She landed, staring in complete stupefaction. She wasn't mistaken. Canterlot was on fire. She couldn't help but stare for a few moments. Words finally came to her. "Spike!" She turned and ran back into the hallway. "Spike! Starlight!"

* * *

"There! It's the Raven!"

Luna's fur stood on end. She glanced behind herself and saw a group of griffons splinter off and begin to chase her, tossing what looked to be barrels down below. Urging her wings, she dove down between buildings. Her entire leg and shoulder was throbbing, and her stomach threatened to empty itself. More and more flashes of orange popped up before her, and she flew near them in hopes the griffons would cease their pursuit. Instead, she managed to singe her coat and reveal herself to more griffons. Many ponies on the streets watched her and the griffons rush by, and they began running and screaming.

Using her remaining strength, Luna pushed ahead and yelled in her royal voice, "CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! GET YE TO SAFETY!" With a groan, she gained altitude and began shouting the refrain again. The din from above and below now mingled into one and drowned out her warnings, so the thought of flight consumed her mind once more.

She dove downwards again, thinking to lose her pursuers in some back alley or side street. With a leap in her chest, she felt claws sink into one of her back legs and kicked them away furiously. Another griffon attacked from above, pinning her wings to her back, and they began to fall, the other griffons diving along. Lighting her horn, she grabbed the attacker with magic and flung her into the others. She looked down and narrowly avoided a roof as she leveled out. She didn't dare check back now lest she lost her lead on them.

She finally made it to the cobblestone streets and began weaving through as many buildings as she could. She slammed into one building as she turned tightly into an alley, causing her to cough a bit, but the griffons overshot the turn altogether. She was able to put some distance between herself and them though the narrow alley. Emerging on the other side, she was blasted with heat and staggered backwards. Everything around her was orange and yellow—cobblestone and marble only proved to contain it all. Canterlot had become a giant white kiln.

Hearing griffons behind her, Luna leapt and flew upwards, but the smoke was growing so thick and foul she had to backtrack towards her pursuers. Going a different direction now, she dove back down to the streets, resuming her frantic tactic of weaving. She almost wished she hadn't.

Bodies lined the streets, stabbed, torn, gutted, mangled, burned. Other ponies ran by her as she flew past. She saw griffons swoop down and pluck kicking and screaming ponies from the street, carrying them away. She then heard screaming from above, and before she could look up, a pony crunched onto the street before her, crumpling into a heap. Luna's conscious mind barely registered it as she passed over, though she nearly began weeping.

A griffon hit her hard from the side, sending her crashing into a large window of a shop. She landed behind a counter away from the shattered glass, her head in a daze. Griffons outside began shouting at each other, and Luna hastily stood and buckled on her leg. Through new hot tears, she spied a quill and parchment. Thinking of Twilight, she quickly levitated them toward herself and began scratching out a desperate 'HELP' on the parchment.

A cry shocked her, and before she could send it away in a puff of green smoke, a griffon pinned her against the counter's shelves. The griffon twisted Luna's leg out of the way and made a swipe at her throat. Luna enveloped the griffon in magic and slid him out of the way. His claws still connected, and they tore long gashes in Luna's left side beneath her wing. With a flick and a cry, Luna tossed the griffon away and began to hobble out of the shop.

She took off once more, forgetting the note. Her whole body began to ache, and she became more and more aware of every inch of her leg and side. She quickly glanced at her new additions and saw four jagged scarlet lines stretching from her chest to nearly her flank. Fresh blood flowed freely from them, and just looking at them nearly made her falter. She firmly decided the open air above was far better than the maze-like streets.

She climbed straight up despite her wings' protests. She finally saw, with full clarity, the inferno that was Canterlot. Entire towers now were swallowed up in cackling yellow flames, curling and swirling higher than the towers themselves. Every building in front of her was engulfed in bright fire that cruelly mocked them. She spun as she ascended, and with relief, she saw a small portion of the city untouched by the blaze. She looked down and saw she was still being chased. She leveled out for a few yards and tucked her wings in, diving straight past them. Her left wing felt sticky as she extended it outward and slowed herself down.

Pulling out of her descent, she found herself near the mountain to which the city was anchored. She flew next to it and hugged it, looking for any chance to escape. She finally found a large cave opening and turned inside, again hitting the far wall as she went. The cave remained alight as she plunged deeper, which helped both her and the griffons navigate it with relative ease. The griffon's shouts, yips, and cries bounced and echoed everywhere, and Luna had to remind herself many times they were only behind her. Spying a set of tracks, she followed close, hoping the tight corridors and winding tunnels would throw the griffons off. They only served to amplify their bloodthirsty calls and reinforce her paranoia. One passage in particular seemed to go one for miles. Luna was seized with fear. What if it was a dead end?

The calls behind were growing closer, and the tunnel only became less defined as she sped along. Turns only led to more turns. To Luna's relief, the tunnel opened up, and the claustrophobia left her. She thought she could see stars again through an opening a few hundred feet ahead, and she pushed her wings harder. Suddenly, the stars vanished, and Luna threw her wings out, landing just short of the mouth of the cave. The griffons out there were surely looking for her. She limped backwards, and her ears picked up the sound of the others behind her. Desperate, she saw a fissure in the wall to her side and wedged herself inside.

She tried to slow down her breathing, gradually becoming aware of her injuries again. She wracked her brain for a healing or numbing spell to no avail. She pressed her left wing down on her gashes and leaned against the wall. It soon felt sticky again, and then worryingly warm, and Luna was struck with her own mortality.

Somewhere, off in the distant, untouched parts of Canterlot, a lone siren began wailing.


	3. Rift

**3**

 **Rift**

"Hey, Rainbow Dash."

Spitfire trotted over to a group of chattering recruits. A rainbow mane popped up in the middle, and the group hushed. Rainbow smiled and flew over their heads, landing in front of Spitfire. "Yeah, Spit?" The captain raised an eyebrow. Rainbow straightened up, clearing her throat. "Yes ma'am?"

Spitfire smirked. "Well, you seem to be popular."

"Yeah, I'm just breaking them in, showing them around."

"With you, I doubt that's all you're doing."

Rainbow scoffed. "What? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You haven't mentioned _anything_ at all about yourself?"

"Well... maybe a little."

"How about—" she blew her whistle "—instead of _telling_ the recruits about yourself—" the group gathered around "—you _prove_ it." She looked to the group. "Who wants to see Dash here race me?"

"Wait," Rainbow said, "what?" The recruits oohed, looking between the two. Rainbow's ears flattened somewhat. "Heh... uh, sure. When?"

"How about... now!"

Spitfire suddenly vanished into the cloud below her, sending tufts of it flying into the air. Fanning them away, Rainbow saw the hole left behind and dove into it. Clouds obscured her vision, but she didn't slow to brush them aside; then, all at once, Rainbow's vision was completely overtaken by green. The ground seemed much closer than she remembered.

She saw a tiny golden fleck shrink smaller and smaller, and Rainbow gunned it downwards. Suddenly, the fleck grew to a size of a pony, and Spitfire buzzed by Rainbow. Rainbow barely touched the grass before rocketing as fast as she could to catch up.

She attempted to follow the path Spitfire cleared for her. They soon passed the top of the mountain, and Rainbow noticed a crowd gathered where they took off. She finally caught up to her commander Rainbow sped around a cloud, trying to gain a lead over Spitfire. They weaved through cloud rings and around pillars and other obstacles left over from training, Spitfire leading some, then Rainbow overtaking her, before Spitfire took the lead once more.

"What's the matter, Rainbow? Too fast for you?"

"I'm just taking it easy on you!"

"Oh really? C'mon, then! Let's go!"

Rainbow started to pump her wings harder, urging herself to go faster and faster. She felt her ears slowly begin to press against the sides of her head. The wind felt more and more like a wall she was trying to push. She looked to get right and left and saw white streaks trail off of her wingtips. Rainbow turned the last corner and sped towards the finish line and, with a brilliant flash, jolted forward, leaving behind a sparkling rainboom in her wake.

She sped past dozens of clouds and felt a rush of adrenaline. She then remembered why she didn't often use rainbooms for races. Nearing the end, she flipped her wings forward, trying to find the familiar wall of air to slow herself down with. She then began to spin out of control, tumbling past the finish and hitting a few of the clouds above it. Dazed, she looked down and realized she won. She flew downwards, her head still spinning.

"Ha! Whoo!" She stumbled a bit, laughing. "Take _that_ , Spitfi—"

But as she looked around, she saw nopony. Even her wondrous rainboom was absent. She waited for Spitfire to finish, but she never came. Thinking she might have hit her head a bit too hard, she shook it. She then realized the crowd was gone, as was the rest of the base—runways, barracks, flagpoles, the very mountain they were based upon—everything, save for clouds. The sky grew dark within a matter of moments. Rainbow looked for the sun but couldn't find so much as a dim glow in the nonexistent clouds above.

"Hello?" Her voiced echoed in the empty sky. Puzzled by this, she called out again. A third time. Worried now, she started frantically flying around. There weren't any clouds in the sky above her, so why was it getting so dark?

"Come on, guys, this isn't funny anymore. Is it because I won? Because if it is, you aren't acting like—" her words caught in her mouth. She couldn't breathe. She was suffocating in something. It was more than night now. Rainbow struggled for air, but couldn't get anything. She didn't know whether she blacked out or the sky itself was snuffed out.

* * *

Rainbow woke up, gasping for air. She felt something wrapping itself around her leg and furiously kicked it off. She escaped its grasp, sending it to the opposite side of the room. She realized it was just her blanket. Shaking, she rubbed her eyes. "H-heh. It's was just a blanket. A blanket. That's..." She shook her head.

Shaking, she sat on the edge of her bed. "Heh. I wonder what— Ah!" She held up a hoof, a light shining in her eyes. Looking behind her, she saw her cutie mark glowing brightly, easily beating the tiny specks of starlight outside.

"Oh, shoot!" Rainbow jumped out of bed. "How long was that going off for?" She reached for her clock but found its spot on her nightstand vacant. Picking it up off the ground and holding it to the light of her mark, she saw it was midnight. Annoyed, she put it back in its proper spot. What was going on at this hour? Was it something on the other side of the world?

Yawning, stretching, she walked out of her room and down the stairs. She went to her kitchen, grabbed some granola bars, and ate them hastily. She wondered who she would be paired with this time. She hadn't been with Applejack or Fluttershy yet, so maybe it'd be one of those two.

"Ugh. Twilight's gonna have a fit. I hope I'm not that late." She finished her scanty breakfast, throwing the wrappers away, and flew outside.

Rainbow shivered in the nippy night air. She looked and barely made out the new moon, high above the clouds. She turned to Twilight's to go to the Map, but something caught her eye. There was a bright orange-yellow splotch on an otherwise peaceful mountain backdrop. She squinted at it, not sure what she was looking at. With a jolt, she realized that was where Canterlot was supposed to be.

Her mind stumbled for a moment, grasping unsuccessfully for words to convey thoughts. "Wait, what the—? Who—? How—? Canterlot?!"

She glanced back at her cutie mark. Putting two and two together, she raced for the burning city. After a moment's flight, she had a thought, a nagging feeling, that she had to go to Twilight's first. She stopped midair and debated for a moment, then, deciding it'd be better to have backup anyway, headed quickly to her friend's castle.

* * *

"Ugh! Where is she?!"

Twilight angrily paced the map room. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy had all arrived a few minutes before, still out of breath yet still trying to wake up. Starlight Glimmer and Spike had ran to the map room at Twilight's screams, both now thoroughly terrified.

"Has this happened before?" Starlight asked timidly. "I mean, why are _all_ of your cutie marks glowing? Is it Canterlot?"

"Well," Rarity said, "yes, it has happened. With... er... you and your town."

Starlight frowned. "Ah."

"As for Canterlot," Rarity continued, "it's entirely possible. We don't know what it is. Usually, it already has out marks on the Map."

Starlight looked at Twilight. "So why aren't they?"

Twilight gave a weak shrug and looked at the Map. "Maybe all of us have to be here this time."

"But how do you know you've all been called?"

"We ain't sure," Applejack said, "but it's shaping up to be that way. We're five for six, so that means Rainbow must be holdin' us up. I hope she ain't getting herself into something stupid, or's just sleeping through all this."

Starlight balked. "Are you saying, even with an obvious problem, you aren't going to act?"

Twilight started to reply, but Rainbow flew through an open window, panting. "Canterlot..."

"Yeah," said Twilight angrily, "we've been here since midnight."

"But that's when I... ugh." Rainbow edged slowly towards the window she entered. "Let's... let's go..."

"Now wait, darling," Rarity said, "we need to see what the Map wants us to do."

"But... Canterlot..." Rainbow took a deep breath to steady herself and groaned. "Isn't it obvious? I mean, what else can it be?" The others, already at the Map and looking at it expectantly, ignored her. Rainbow hung her head and quickly joined them.

Their cutie marks, one by one, appeared on the Map. They circled around Twilight's castle, and circled, and circled... Nothing. The six marks continued to orbit where their owners currently were.

Starlight broke the awkward silence. "Is... Is it broken again?"

"No, no," Twilight said. "It should work. Maybe we should just give it some time."

Applejack shook her head. "I think it's telling us exactly where we should be. It's always right on cue as to telling us what to do. Why shouldn't this be the same?"

"What?!" Rainbow took to the air. "Stay here?! While Canterlot is on fire?! No way! We need to go!"

"But Rainbow," Twilight said, "the Map is telling us to stay."

"We need to go," Rainbow insisted. "I don't care what it says." She hovered over the Map and gestured towards Canterlot. "It's burning, and we can help. Why are we even listening to a Map when we obviously have something more important we should do?"

"It knows better."

Rainbow frowned. "And how do you know that?"

"Well," Twilight looked downwards, "I don't, but—"

Rainbow crossed her hooves. "Then why are we just sitting here?"

"Rainbow," Rarity offered, "darling, we don't know what lies ahead of us. The Map always seems to know what to do."

"Yep!" Pinkie piped up. "It hasn't let us down!"

"So it's settled," Twilight said decisively. "We'll wait here until we're told what to do."

Rainbow threw her hooves up. "'Until we're told what to do'? Are you kidding me? That Map is telling us to just sit here, and you're okay with that?"

"I never said I was okay with—"

"It doesn't matter what you said! What you're doing right now says plenty! You're just sitting there, waiting to be hoof-fed instructions! You're always waiting! We know what to do, so why the _hell_ aren't we doing it?!"

Twilight growled and let out a slow exhale. "Everything always works out in the end precisely _because_ I have instruction. Unlike you. When you do stuff 'by yourself' and 'on your own', it ends in disaster. That Daring-Do book? Rainbow Falls? Mare-Do-Well? Those Rainbow Cookies? Any of _them_ ring a bell?"

Rainbow grit her teeth and huffed. "Ugh! We can't just—" she flew in a quick circle, gathering her thoughts. "We need to do something! Canterlot is burning, Twilight! Do you need me to spell it out for you? Canterlot is on _fire!_ We can't sit here!"

"Now Rainbow," Applejack said calmly, "we've been told to stay here. Our job is to listen to the Map right now, not our gut feelings. Now, I know that you're one to jump in and get stuff done, and I know the feeling, but that ain't necessarily the best course of action all the time."

"But why shouldn't we?" Rainbow asked, her voice a bit quieter. "If the Map's gonna send us there anyway, why wait? And if it isn't gonna send us there, what good is it to stay here?" Applejack looked at the ground, pawing it. Rainbow nodded.

"But, Rainbow," Twilight said, "the Map told us to—"

Rainbow's voice raised again. "You're not getting it, Twilight! We have to make our _own_ decisions! We can't go living our lives being told to do everything! Take initiative for once!"

"I _am_ taking initiative by staying here! The Map knows bigger things are in play now. It has a purpose for all of this."

"Why would the Map have us play bystander, huh? What 'purpose' is there in that? We can help those ponies, and I know it's our responsibility to help them! We don't have to listen to that Map! We can make our own choices! We aren't little fillies!"

Twilight scoffed. "Well you sure are acting like one! We've been told to stay, and I plan on staying."

"Come _on_ , Twilight! The Map isn't in charge of us!" She paused for a moment. "Why is the Map's say more important than our own, huh? Why are its choices higher than ours?"

"No, it's not. No, wait, I mean..." Twilight stomped a hoof. "No, it's not higher than us, but it knows what's best for—"

"How do you know?"

"I don't, but—"

"You've gotta be..." Rainbow started exasperatedly. "Well, maybe now it's wrong! Have you ever thought of that? Maybe it underestimates what we can do! Are you saying that the Map knows us better than we do?"

"I'm not saying that. Like I've _been_ saying, I'm worried there are bigger things happening right now we don't know about. We don't know what caused it or—"

"And we don't need to! All we need to know is that there are ponies dying over there, and we have to help them!"

"It's not our place or job to—"

"Are you _kidding me?!"_ Rainbow's voice cracked. "Are you _serious_ right now?! You're just gonna sit and let ponies die because a glowing map told you to?!"

"Look, Rainbow, would you just listen—"

"No! No, I'm done with you! I'm done with all of you! I'm going to go help Canterlot whether you guys are with me or not!" Rainbow turned and flew towards the open window.

"No, Rainbow Dash, stay!" Twilight seized Rainbow's tail with her magic and refused to let go. Rainbow was seething, kicking futilely at her friend's magic.

"Come _on!"_ Rainbow yelled. "We have to go, damn it! Ponies are _dying!"_

 _"We_ might die if we go!" Twilight slowly raised her voice. "We—"

"Better that than stay here like cowards!"

Nearly everypony in the room winced at that. Twilight lit into her. "We _aren't_ cowards! That's not the point! We—"

"Then what _is_ the point, Twilight?!" Rainbow yelled. "Huh?! What's the point in staying here?! Why do you insist we sit and do nothing?! What gets done?! _Nothing!_ The Map doesn't know what's important here! _You_ don't know what's important here! We are in charge of ourselves, damn it! Not the Map, us! We have a job to do, and Celestia help me, if you won't do it, I will do it all for you!" And, punctuating each word with a kick in the air, "Let! Me! Go!"

"Fine!" Twilight said, tears in her eyes. "Leave! Die then! See what good that does you!" She relinquished her hold of Rainbow's tail.

"Finally!" Rainbow exclaimed. She sped out the window and headed for the distant fiery city, her cutie mark no longer glowing. Twilight ran off to another room, hiding her face with her wings. The remaining five ponies stood in silence.

Rainbow sped towards Canterlot once more, but once more the thought of backup interrupted her. She glanced back at Twilight's castle with distain. Looking around, she spied the bell tower next to the schoolhouse. She flew to it and, without hesitation, kicked it repeatedly.

She found a pattern with the first few ponies who left their homes. They would step outside, annoyed, look about themselves, spot Canterlot, and run to the clock tower yelling. It soon became a cascade of worried and nervous townsponies pouring into the streets and making their way to the tower.

After everypony had congregated, she kicked the bell again. "Weather ponies!" she called to the crowd. "I need the weather ponies!" A few dozen gaunt and groggy pegasi flew to her. She nodded to them. "You know what we're gonna do, right?" They assented and hovered next to her.

"This isn't gonna be enough..." she muttered to herself. Turning to the crowd again, she cleared her throat. "We need any pegasi who're willing and able to help Canterlot! Any volunteers? We have to hustle!" In quick succession, a nearly equal number of additional pegasi joined her and the weather ponies. Rainbow guessed their numbers to be around a hundred. "That'll have to do," she said again to herself.

"As for the rest of you," Rainbow said to the crowd, "be ready first thing in the morning for the trains. We're gonna need as many hooves as we can get for cleanup." She turned to her group of volunteers. "Alright, let's go, let's go!" She sped once again for Canterlot, allowing herself to fret again.

* * *

The room Rainbow had left minutes before remained relatively silent. The five ponies heard the bell ring, the crowd gather, Rainbow bark off orders, the crowd scattering, and saw the herd of pegasi fly towards the glowing mountain without a word passing between themselves.

Fluttershy softly cried, comforted by Rarity. Spike had seemingly left the room at the first signs of contention. Applejack stared out the window, looking at the fire and now the rapidly departing volunteers. Pinkie sat in her chair and fiddled with her deflated hair. Starlight milled around the room, checking the Map once in a while. The cutie marks still remained, and their real-life counterparts still glowed. Only Rainbow's cutie mark had stopped.

* * *

Rainbow strained her eyes against the wind, trying to see to what extent the fire had gone. The other pegasi were busying themselves with various theories as to what started the fire and how long they'd end up being there. Rainbow attempted to join in, or think of anything else, but couldn't quite manage to get her mind off of Twilight.

She grit her teeth. It wasn't dangerous, she thought to herself, nothing the weather team hadn't handled before. Whenever a fire was reported in Ponyville, all it took was two or three pegasi with a cloud to take care of it. Canterlot was just a big fire. A really, _really_ big fire. Given enough clouds and ponies, the fire could be out in minutes. Rainbow just couldn't fathom Twilight's worry.

She also felt a bit betrayed. Her friends wanted to trust some stupid magic rock more than her. She thought they'd back her up, or at least qualify her assertions, but instead, she felt she was being treated as though she had a blatant folly, like some idiot who didn't know what something was until it kicked them in the teeth.

She didn't blame them too much, though—the Map had been guiding them for a while now—but she couldn't understand why they'd be so resolute in their trust in it. Rainbow was determined to show them the Map was wrong, that they should've came along to help with the fire. She just hoped she wasn't too late.

The cold night air nipped at her ears. Rainbow wanted to bolt on ahead and fix it all herself, but she was the captain of the group and had a duty to stay. As she realized how cold the middle of the night was, she tried to guess who made the group so slow. She was going to berate them once it was all over with. Maybe it was Thunderlane, he was enough of a slacker, or—

She heard a faint wailing. It fazed in and out of her head, piercing her brain. Her mind tried to place the sound but couldn't put a name to it. She thought she had heard it once in Ponyville, but couldn't remember when or why. To Rainbow's relief and then terror, somepony behind her heard it too and had a guess.

"Is... Is that an air raid siren?"

Rainbow saw something, now wide-eyed in fear. Tiny specks flew to and fro in front of the fire, but she had a feeling they weren't ponies. Others in her group noticed too, and the whole mass of them seemed to slow down. Before she could even think of what they could be, she heard a screech, followed by some yelling. All at once, the dark specks moved swiftly behind the mountain, vanishing into the darkness.

Rainbow wanted so badly to order her group to make chase but knew Canterlot needed their help, first and foremost. The figures, whoever or whatever they were, weren't causing any more trouble now Rainbow and her volunteers had arrived. Rainbow ordered everyone to speed up and start dowsing the flames, and they all flowed out, grabbing clouds and speeding towards their burning capital.


	4. Shock

**4**

 **Shock**

Luna held her wings close to her body, trying to stem the bleeding on her left side. Her head already felt light, and she had to control her breathing to keep conscious. She started to think she'd die there, trapped in a tiny crevasse in some forsaken fork of a cave. They'd find her eventually, she felt, whether in five minutes, alive, or a half hour from now, dead. She could faintly hear the griffons arguing with each other as to where she went, and they were growing louder. She peeked out and saw the cave opening was clear now. She started to go out but then thought better of it. If she went out, the other griffons would certainly see her. Her only option was to wait and hope they'd miss her.

Suddenly, a griffon's cry rang through the air, startling Luna and piercing the otherwise incoherent atmosphere of Canterlot. Following it was a new order.

"Fall back! Retreat! Enemy reinforcements imminent!"

"What?" Luna said quietly to herself. What reinforcements? Cloudsdale? Ponyville? Whoever they were, they were making these bloodthirsty griffons retreat, and she allowed herself to take comfort in that. These griffons had to have killed hundreds of ponies already. They wouldn't retreat over something futile. She could hear two of her pursuers arguing about the new order, not ten feet away.

"What?! No! We can't retreat! We still haven't found her!"

"If we don't, we're disobeying a superior! Let's go, now!"

"What, d'you think we can't take 'em? We've wiped the floor with 'em! We can take care of—"

"I'm not saying we can't—never!—but if we stay here, we'd be disobeying."

"Come _on!_ We are so close to getting the Raven!"

"Take it up with Gault, Gavin. We're leaving. Now."

"How about _you_ leave, and _you_ tell Gault you let the Raven go?"

There was a sharp cry and the sounds of a scuffle. After a few seconds, Gavin spoke up, panting. "Alright, alright! Fine!" He huffed. "I'm coming."

Luna held her breath and covered her face with one wing. They were going to exit the cave through the opening she had considered not a minute before. She counted twelve griffons as they passed by her spot, one holding a bleeding cheek. As soon as the last griffon exited the cave, Luna started to count to a minute to make sure it wasn't a ploy to lure her out. When she herself heard many more cries of retreat outside, she stopped, breathing a sigh of relief.

Luna pried herself out of her hiding spot, hobbling a bit. Waves of pain returned, no longer subdued by adrenaline. She could see orange light dancing on the ceiling of the cave. She gazed out at the city. She guessed, with that size of force, even with little over a half hour's time, most of the buildings were ablaze. She thought about all of the ponies she couldn't help, that were dead now because of the griffons. Some of the images which flashed in her mind made her want to vomit.

Her heart dropped as a terrible thought came to her. If they had chased her so relentlessly, then they surely went after...

"No. No, no, no..."

Luna limped towards the mouth of the cave. She checked the area for griffons, and, after making sure they had indeed retreated, she leapt into the air. She nearly faltered; almost all she could see was fire. She could now hear cries of pain the cave had mercifully blocked out. She pushed on. She had to know, she had to know...

She flew as low as she could, peering into buildings and calling her sister's name as she passed. She went upwards and checked the surrounding atmosphere, seeing both the retreating forces and what she guessed to be the reinforcements. She saw the tallest tower in Canterlot, which was untouched by fire: Celestia's tower.

Tearing through the the sky as fast as she could, Luna sped towards the top. She landed abruptly on the balcony, stumbling without the use of her broken leg. She looked around and noticed the door ajar. Her knees shook. She pushed open the door.

"T-Tia?"

Luna gasped, her ears folding back. Celestia was on the floor, staring right at her with fogged eyes, almost expectantly. Luna's heart twisted into a knot again, and she staggered. Her breathing quickened, unable to tear her gaze from her sister.

Celestia's wings were gone, bloody stumps in their place. Her horn was broken off, and her legs sprawled in different directions. Her mane, once flowing and sparkling with life, lay limp, matted, and partially soaked in blood, surrounding her head in a grotesque halo. Rust-colored blood had already caked around her nose and mouth. Luna followed the lines of crimson on her side to four stab wounds along her sister's side and chest, causing her to wince. Celestia's cutie mark, once a brilliant orange-yellow sun, was now a mess of red gashes.

Luna wanted to cry, to scream, to run, but it was as if her mind, in order to truly comprehend what it had seen, had stopped altogether, rooting her to the ground, forbidding her to move one inch, to end the morbid staring contest, to even take a breath, determined to make her stand in the doorway and take in the horrid scene. Her whole frame shook. Her brain tingled and fuzzed over. Her own blood began to make small red puddles on the marble. Her cheeks were streaked with hot tears. Her knees finally gave out. Darkness consumed her sight, and the ground came rushing up to meet her.

* * *

"Why isn't this going out?"

Rainbow looked for another cloud, seeing one a hundred feet or so above her. She swooped to it and pushed it back to the spot she was working on. She set it above the dying building, trying not to inhale smoke. The fire smelled different than any other she had experienced. It smelled of some harsh oil and something else she couldn't identify, and she could feel the hairs in her nose curl when she breathed.

Rainbow stomped hard on the cloud, releasing its shower. Flames shot up, and she could almost feel them licking her hooves. Coughing in the new smoke, she drained the cloud of all its water. The fire still raged on. Her eyes watering, she hovered above, completely bewildered. She again got another cloud, again dumped it, and still the fire burned. She slowly flew upwards. "What the hell?"

The inferno which consumed half the city wasn't drowning like she had hoped. By spreading out, the nearly hundred-strong group of pegasi quickly covered the area, but it was as if the fire only got bigger as they attempted to extinguish it. After only ten minutes, they ran out of nearby clouds and had to resort to flying behind the mountains or reaching far above to gather more, but nothing seemed to work. The only good news was the burning buildings weren't falling, being made mostly of stone, and the rest of Canterlot wasn't catching fire. The coughing and screams from below, however, didn't help any of their nerves.

Rainbow looked around at the other pegasi. They were desperately darting to and from the sky and the city. Their faces were dimly lit by the flames. Many of them wore a similar expression as she did. They too saw their attempts were almost pitiful. "Why isn't this working?!" she yelled to the sky. "What're we supposed to do?!"

An idea sprung to her mind, and she got excited in spite of herself. She dove down towards the streets, trying to find ponies to scoop up and save, but she stopped just a few yards short. Rainbow was convinced the air itself had to have been boiling. The hot air filled her lungs, making her cough violently. The fur on her chest began to singe, plugging her nose with the stench. She rose back up to cooler air. The stone buildings were effectively ovens now. Those poor ponies on the ground...

"Should we just give up?" Rainbow said to herself. "None of this is working. All we're doing is making it worse." She looked at the pegasi again. She couldn't just tell them to stop. She doubted any of them would anyway. She hovered in the air, debating. "What else can we do?" Spying a street the flames seemed to leave alone, she dove down again. Her coat nearly threatened to catch fire, and she flew back up. An unbearable feeling of futility engulfed her. "We can't help. We can't... we can't do _anything_." Her stomach churned. "Oh Celestia..."

She started. "Celestia!" Her mind spun, trying to think of where the two princesses could be. "They might have gone to Ponyville," she muttered to herself. "No, no. We would have seen them passing us." She flew in zig-zags above the city, trying her best not to panic. "Oh! They could be hiding in some safe house buried deep beneath Canterlot... that may or may not exist." She groaned. "Where the hell could they be?" She looked up. "The clouds? No, we would've seen them there too." Dread mounted in her mind. "What if they never left? Or couldn't?"

Rainbow whirled around, looking for the Celestia's tower. Spying it across the city, she rocketed towards it. Somehow, the building was untouched, as were the rest of the buildings on this side of the mountain. An odd sense of relief came over as she approached the tower. It looked fine, great even. Nothing was broken, not even a window. A nervous laugh managed to escape Rainbow.

Flying to a window, she peered inside. Seeing only drapery, she shrugged and made her way to the other side. She looked at the balcony and froze. She saw a dark figure on the ground, collapsed in a puddle of blood, its chest rising and falling rapidly. Only after seeing a horn did Rainbow realize who it was.

Snapping out of her stupor, she landed at Luna's side. Her eyes darted everywhere over her body, not knowing how to help. Her heart thudded against her chest, and she couldn't think straight. She looked inside the open door, hoping to clear her mind. She saw another silhouette in the middle of the room. Squinting, Rainbow guessed who it was. Celestia stared back at her. She was just a heap of blood and white on the floor. She wasn't moving at all. Rainbow's stomach sank and her head swam. She stumbled backwards, a dark, cold feeling enveloping her.

"No, no," she muttered to herself, "this... this is impossible, this can't happen. They're..." She started flying backwards, away from the tower. "No... They can't die, they... th-they can't be dead." She started quivering, her wings threatening to quit. She couldn't take her eyes off of the balcony. "H-h..." she croaked. "H-he... h-help. Help. Help!" Her eyes widened. "Help!" She flew up and back over to the other pegasi. "Help! It's the princesses! I need help over here! The princesses! Help! Help!"

* * *

Shining Armor, cut up and bruised, teleported into the bedroom. He staggered for a moment, panting. Cadence stood next to Flurry Heart's crib, which was safe inside a magenta bubble. The windows behind them remained unscathed, and the doors were kept shut by their solid crystal dresser. Shining heaved a shuddered sigh. Everypony was safe.

"Cadence," he said weakly, "they took the Heart. It's gone." He staggered over towards her. "I tried to stop them, but I got..." He grimaced and stumbled on his front knees.

"Shining?" said Cadence, trotting to him. "What's wrong? What happened to y—" When she got to his other side, she gasped and reeled back. A broken shaft of a spear was sticking out from behind his ribcage. A stream of blood ebbed from the wound, starkly red against his white coat. She looked between his face and his wound, lost for words.

"Yeah, yeah," he said in a strained voice, "stabbed." He groaned, looking at his side, but quickly clamped his mouth shut. He winced and closed his eyes, breathing slowly through grit teeth. He stood up, walking a few steps towards Cadence, but his knees gave out from under him.

Cadence stared at him, still too stunned to think. Shining put one hoof flat on the ground and tried to heave himself up again. Cadence finally walked over and offered her shoulder for support, and he nearly collapsed on her. She stood up, getting him on his own hooves, and tried guiding him towards the bed. They only took a few more steps when Shining slid off and fell again, crying out and landing in the floor with a thud.

"Oh—!" Cadence exclaimed. "I'm so sorry!" She began to tremble nearly as much as him. He shook his head and murmured something she couldn't hear. "Sh-Shining," Cadence said, "let's get you on the bed... come on..." She slowly enveloped him in her magic and began to levitate him. Shining yelped when he left the ground but was then silent.

Cadence cleared away blankets and sheets with her wings and gently set Shining down on his unharmed side. As she broke her spell, he writhed, but it seemed to Cadence as though he were trying to hide his pain. He closed his eyes and tried not to speak, but occasional murmurs and groans escaped his lips.

Cadence walked over to the magenta bubble and popped it with her horn. She picked her foal up and glanced at Shining. He shifted, as though trying to sit up, but inhaled sharply and fell back down. Cadence ran over to him, still carrying Flurry. Shining closed his eyes tightly, biting his lips. Cadence turned to set Flurry in her crib, but Shining moved again.

"N-no," he said weakly. "Let her stay." Reluctantly, Cadence turned around and carried Flurry to her father. With some effort, he raised his head up, and Cadence levitated a pillow underneath him. He lay down and looked at Cadence. "I wanna s-see her." She faked a smile and propped Flurry up. She went to put her on the bed but stopped when she saw the sheets around him beginning to turn red. Flurry seemed to study his face.

He smiled and gingerly pet her hair. "H-hey... How's our b-baby girl doing, huh? You d-doing okay? Doing alright?" As though she understood what was going on, Flurry started to cry. Cadence pulled her away, but Shining reached for her. "Shh... h-hey, Flurry, d-don't cry. Don't cry. Look! D-Daddy's here! Daddy's okay! Look!" He smiled big, and Cadence saw he was hiding a grimace. Flurry stopped crying somewhat, but she looked at him with big, watery eyes. "Hey," he said again, more softly. "Don't cry. D-don't cry."

He grimaced again, and Cadence took the opportunity and picked Flurry up, cooing to her softly. She could see Shining's smile fade out of the corner of her eye. She set Flurry down in her crib and breathed deeply. "What do you want me to do?" She turned to him. "I-I don't know if there're any guards around, but—"

"Promise me something," he said. She walked over to him, flinching upon looking at the spear again. She sat down in front of him and nodded. He sighed. "Be strong. For yourself and for Flurry. I—"

"No!" she yelled. She covered her mouth with her hoof and continued quietly. "Don't you talk like that." She started tearing up. "Don't you _dare_ talk like that!"

"Cadence," he said, his eyes watery. "Please. P-promise me you'll be okay. Please?" She stared at him for a long time. She looked back at the crib and back at Shining. She nodded, her ears flat against her head. He smiled. "Th-thank you."

"But what can I do to help you _now?"_ she pleaded. "I've _got_ to do something."

He shuddered again and took a deep breath. "Go." Cadence balked. "Go," he repeated with more conviction. "Get t-to Canterlot or _somewhere_ safe. The Empire will c-come back when the Heart is returned, but—"

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

"Cadence, I—" he grimaced again, curling up somewhat. Cadence's heart quivered. He looked back at her and smiled. He softly chuckled before coughing. She smiled back and hugged him gingerly. He wrapped a free hoof around her neck and pulled her close. "You're really gonna stay here, aren't you?" he asked, petting her mane softly. She nodded, wiping a tear from her eye. He kissed her softly. "I love you."

"I love you too, Shining," she whispered.

They stared at one another, not saying anything for a while. Cadence's lips trembled, and she closed her eyes. Her ears flattened, and she turned her head downwards. Shining sniffed and reached a quivering hoof over to her face. Cadence flinched up at his touch and with her hoof held his. Shining smiled and wiped a tear from her face. Cadence feigned a smile back. His hoof already felt like ice. She began to cry softly again but fought to keep her smile.

"H-h-hey..." Shining said. Cadence could barely hear him. He tried to move closer to her but stopped and inhaled sharply again. He wiped away another tear. "H-hey... don't... don't c-cry..." He kept smiling, beginning to tear up himself. His eyelids twitched. His hoof drooped somewhat, but Cadence wouldn't let it out of her grasp. His breathing grew quieter, shaking. "D-d-don't... c-cry..."

A few tense moments passed. He then gasped, and, with a small shudder, he exhaled. His hoof became limp, and Cadence gripped onto it with both of hers. His head settled. His eyes flashed magenta. His eyelids fluttered shut. He still smiled. Cadence's facade fell. The smile once again fled. Her eyes wide, she began to shake. She could do nothing but stare at him.

"Shining?" She fought to keep herself under control. She saw no movement in his face. _"Shining?"_ It wasn't a question now—it was a plea. She took his hoof and held it to her forehead. She closed her eyes and sobbed with all her soul. Her wings drooped to the floor. She wanted to scream. She racked her brain, trying to think of any spell which could help him, but she knew nothing existed. She wanted to hear him talk one more time, but she knew she couldn't. She looked back at his smiling face and almost felt angry with him. How could he smile? How could he be happy? Tears obscured her vision, and she closed her eyes and tucked her head down.

After a few minutes, Cadence noticed she couldn't hear the griffons anymore. She sniffed and reverently placed his hoof next to him. She looked at him for a while more, wistfully remembering their time together. She suddenly had an idea, and she gasped softly. She could produce a bubble around the Crystal Empire and shield it from the Frozen North like she had done in the past.

She walked to the middle of the room, took a steadying stance, and lit her horn. Her gaze drifted to the bed, and she closed her eyes tightly, stifling a whimper. She cast the spell, but the cyan orb sputtered and died before her. She looked at it fearfully, her knees trembling. She tried again, focusing on the spell, but again the light flickered and fizzled out. She closed her eyes and tried once more, but she knew it didn't work before she even looked. Letting tears flow again, she looked at the bed. There was no way she could concentrate on a spell of that magnitude. It was over.

Flurry fussed in the corner. She looked at Cadence with the same big eyes as she looked at Shining minutes ago. It was as if she was asking what happened. Cadence winced and walked over to her. She picked her up and cooed to her, not so much calming her as herself. After holding Flurry for a while, she knew what to do next.

She gently laid Flurry back down and searched for a candle, finding one toppled next to an overturned desk and chair. She levitated a piece of stay paper on the floor towards herself. She walked over to the desk and set it upright with more cyan magic, setting the candle on top, lighting it. The few bottles of ink she had kept there had broken on the floor. After searching around, she found a bent quill. She dipped it in the ink puddle and hovered it above the paper. A drop of black landed on the paper. Even her magic quivered. She took a deep breath, and, with some effort not to break down again, penned a short and shaky note.

Shivering now, she transfigured the crumpled paper into a pristine snowflake, the same as Flurry's birth announcement. Holding it to her chest, not daring to look at the bed again, she walked to the balcony doors. All she could see were dark clouds and heavy snowfall. She gingerly pushed opened the doors and was greeted by the howling wind. A gust of bitter cold froze the tears on her face. She walked to the edge of the balcony, set the note on a trembling wing, and let the tumult carry it off. It was immediately lost from her sight.

She slowly walked back inside, not bothering to close the doors. All of the heat had left the room. Flurry began to cry, and Cadence walked over to her. She picked her up and held her again, trying futilely to warm her. She walked over and sat down by the bed, and she slowly rocked Flurry in her hooves, cooing to her softly. Soon, Flurry stopped crying, and the cold and snow slowly took them.


	5. Morning

**5**

 **Morning**

Rainbow quickly gained the attention of five other pegasi. They hastily took Princess Luna to a medical tent across Canterlot. Rainbow couldn't help but quietly reassure both Luna and herself that she would be alright. Frazzled nurses and doctors nearly dropped other patients at the sight of her, and they whisked her away, yelling at one another. The group flew back to the tower slowly and somberly. Eveypony already knew of the other princess' fate.

The six pegasi stared at Celestia, too stunned to do anything. Several ponies were overcome with sobs. Rainbow would have cried too if she didn't feel so hollow. Wordlessly, following Rainbow's lead, they placed her back onto her bed and covered her with blankets. Rainbow wasn't prepared for how stiff and light she would be. Before her face was covered, somepony closed her eyes. Nopony spoke.

One by one, they returned to firefighting, not speaking to anypony else about the princesses. Rainbow, however, stayed with Celestia. She sat opposite of the bed on the floor. The dark, cold feeling returned. She stared at the heap, trying to internalize it all. A tear rolled down her cheek, then another. She sniffed, wiping away one of the tears. Her breathing grew funny as she tried to keep control over herself. Tears welled up her eyes, and she closed them, hanging her head. She sniffed again. After a short battle, a cry escaped her lips, and she was slowly overcome with sobs. She laid down and covered her head, her wings slack at her side and her shoulders heaving.

After an hour and a half, the wailing of the air raid sirens ceased, and the pegasi began having luck against the inferno. After three hours, the fire was contained, and after four, the last flames fizzled out. The pegasi had finally won, but they were exhausted. The ash and soot clung to their coats and manes, the smoke their lungs and eyes. Though some took to celebration in their conquest, others flowed down to the streets of the city, looking at the damage the attack had wrought upon it.

Many pegasi were spared from seeing nothing worse than charred stone structures. Most were not so fortunate. Scattered around Canterlot were dead ponies of all ages. Some merely had slit throats, while others bore torn chests. There were crimson splotches here and there along the cobblestone, some accompanied by bodies. Many buildings still retained their now charred occupants. A small few went to the north and west parts of the city, where neither death nor destruction were prevalent. Here were the injured, displaced, and disheartened. Many of the pegasi who came there stuck around and helped. No one went home to Ponyville that morning.

Rainbow was sitting again with her head cast down when the Royal Guard finally arrived. One guard escorted her out of the tower and onto the balcony. In somewhat of a stupor, she answered the questions he asked. She weakly flew up and away from the city until she came across a surviving cloud. She sat upon it, holding herself. Her heart feebly beat against her chest. She still coughed occasionally. Her stomach protested for food, and her throat longed for water. Her eyes ached and just wanted to close. She didn't know why she wanted to be alone, away from the tents and survivors.

She thought about returning to Ponyville, but she could not find the will to move again. Though the argument now felt to her as if it had occurred years ago, it again weighed heavily on her mind. She wanted to reconcile with the others, but she didn't know if they would, or could, forgive her. She didn't know how she could talk to them about much of anything now anyway.

She looked out across the other side of the city. It was completely dark, lifeless. Everypony who was still alive had fled the area hours before. The ground below Rainbow, conversely, was bustling. Ponies ran from tents which had sprung up everywhere to relatively untouched buildings. Reunions and mournings dotted the streets.

A question kept nagging at Rainbow. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't have an answer for it. But, the more she tried to ignore it, the more it persisted. It almost physically hurt her to try to answer it. What happens next? She just didn't know. No one knew. Who could have planned for this? Rainbow kept saying to herself one thing—this can't be happening. It simply could not be happening. She closed her eyes. "Just wake up," she muttered to herself. "C'mon. Wake up."

"Miss Dash?" Something cold touched her shoulder. Rainbow yelped, flying up and spinning to see who was there. Upon seeing a shocked guard retracting a hoof, she landed on the roof. The guard shook his head. "I'm sorry, Miss Dash, I didn't—"

"No, no," Rainbow interrupted, "y-you're okay. What is it?"

He gave a weak smile. "I just wanted to let you know that Princess Luna is going to be alright."

If she had the energy, she would've cheered. "She is?"

"She lost a lot of blood, but she'll live."

"Can I see her?"

He shook his head. "Afraid not. She isn't awake yet, and the doctors are keeping a tight seal on her room." He looked over his shoulder. "I guess I'd better be heading back now. Take care." He waved to her and flew back towards the city.

Rainbow still was in anxious wonder. Princess Luna somehow survived all of this. A huge weight disappeared from Rainbow's mind, but everything else came crashing down on her. Princess Celestia was still dead. She thought about Twilight and Luna and all of Equestria. Everything was going to be different now. What were they going to do now? _What happens next?_

Out of the corner of her eye, a group of pegasi approached from the east. Spearheading them was a yellow mare with orange hair. Rainbow recognized the group immediately: the Wonderbolts. Anger surged in Rainbow at the sight of them. She flew directly to Spitfire, who was busy taking in the sights. She and the rest of the team were looking at the tents, the tower, the charred remains of the city, gasping in horror and whispering in disbelief.

Spitfire noticed Rainbow and flew over towards her. "Is everypony alri—"

"Where were you?!" Rainbow yelled at her captain, straining her throat. "Where the _hell_ were you?!"

"Hey!" Spitfire spat back. "We weren't sitting on our hooves! We—"

"You wanna know what happened, Spitfire?! Princess Celestia is dead! Half of Canterlot is dead! _Where the hell were you?!"_ Rainbow started coughing violently, her throat on fire.

"Princess Celestia is dead?" Spitfire, her eyes wide and darting between Rainbow and Canterlot, looked as if she were about to cry.

Her eyes watering, Rainbow's anger quickly subsided upon seeing her captain's reaction. The Wonderbolts dove down towards the city, each to a different section, fear in their eyes. Rainbow and Spitfire were left alone near the lone cloud.

"Sorry, ma'am," Rainbow said hoarsely. "I just... Where _were_ you?"

"We saw the fire from Cloudsdale," Spitfire began. Her voice was quivering. "As soon as we saw it, we scrambled, but when we were flying here, we saw a bunch of griffons flying away, and we chased after them."

"Griffons? They did this?"

Spitfire nodded. "I..." She looked at Canterlot. "I didn't think it was _this_ bad. I didn't think it could ever be this bad."

They hovered in silence for a moment. Rainbow remembered the one good bit of news she heard all night. "Princess Luna—"

"Is she okay?" Spitfire's eyes pleaded with Rainbow.

"Yeah," Rainbow said, "from what I've been told." She slowly descended onto the cloud. "She lost a lot of blood, but a guard told me she'll live."

Spitfire landed next to Rainbow and looked at her, tears now running freely down her face. "Half of Canterlot?" she croaked. "And Princess Celestia?" Rainbow nodded, her heart heavy. Spitfire looked out at the blackened city. "This can't be happening," Rainbow heard her mutter. "This _can't_ be happening."

* * *

The map finally relented. The five remaining cutie marks floated toward Canterlot. Starlight, who had been staring at it on and off again, blinked away her exhaustion.

"Girls? Uh, your cutie marks moved to Canterlot."

Pinkie came running, nearly bowling over Starlight. The others followed, all with an eerie sense of excitement. Sure enough, five glowing marks now orbited the center mountain on the map. They all started chattering away, mostly in relief of now being able to go.

Rarity glanced at the map then did a double take. "Does anypony see Rainbow's cutie mark anywhere?"

Applejack looked at Canterlot again. "Maybe her's is gone 'cause she's there already."

"So, what," Pinkie said, "she solved the problem, but we still need to?"

"Well," Applejack said, "what else coulda happened?" Everypony winced, and Applejack shook her head. "Never mind," she muttered.

"Um," Spike said, "I-I'll go get Twilight." No one acknowledged him, so he awkwardly and silently left the room. He went down this hallway and down that. He came upon her bedroom door and timidly knocked.

"Go away..." he heard a muffled voice say. He opened the door and saw Twilight next to a window, looking up at Canterlot. "I _said_ —" she began, but upon seeing Spike, she softened. "Oh, it's you Spike." She sighed. "How's everypony?"

"Well," he said, "they're worried, Twilight. Uh, but there's good news. The cutie marks are over Canterlot now, so I guess that means we're okay to go, right?"

"What do you mean by they're worried? Obviously, they're worried."

"Well," he danced around the subject a bit, "one cutie mark is missing."

"Oh. Her." She shook her head. "I'm sure she's fine. You said the cutie marks are at Canterlot now?"

"Yeah, so do we—" He was cut off by Twilight magicking him onto her back. "H-hey, what's the big idea—" He was again interrupted by her rocketing out of the window, straight for Canterlot. "Whoa! What about the oth—"

"They can take the train. We have to be there, now."

* * *

"Luna. This was not thy doing. I will be fine. We shall meet again someday. Do not be discouraged, for thou shalt have strength. I love thee."

"No, Tia, wait! Do not leave me again! Tia! _Tia!"_

Luna snapped open her eyes. All she could see was white. Eventually her eyes focused, and she could make out white cloth and metal bars. A plastic tube filled her nose with stale air. Her left hoof and side felt completely numb. She felt something attached to her right hoof. A fuzzy, dull, but consistent beep rang in her head.

"Tia?" Her throat felt full of cotton. She looked ahead and saw doctors and nurses talking. "Where... Tia?" She could hardly speak. She needed their attention. She tried to sit upright, but was immediately met with pain from her left side. She yelled, gaining the doctors' and nurses' attention. She slowly laid herself back down. Tears welled up in her eyes as she bit back the burning throughout her body.

One of the nurses hurried over. "Princess! Oh thank goodness. We feared—"

Luna looked over. "W-where..." she said with shaky breath, "is C-Celestia?"

The nurse looked down, saying nothing. Luna grew worried. "W-where is my sister?" she said more firmly. She thought remembered seeing her sister dead but was now unsure if wasn't just some twisted dream. She saw the nurse look towards her, tears welling up. No reply. Nothing. Luna softly shook her head. "N-no..."

"I'm so sorry, Princess. I'm so, so sorry..." The nurse hid her face with a hoof.

"Tia!" Luna cried, gazing upwards. "Tia!" She grabbed her pillow and curled up into a ball, screwing her eyes shut. _"TIA!"_

* * *

"Must've been some fire, taking that long to put out."

Spike rode on Twilight's back as she sped along towards the gaunt remains of Canterlot. The smoke was still prevalent even a few miles out. Some flakes of ash started to fall on the surrounding landscape in a mockery of winter.

Twilight squinted in the dim light. "I just hope most ponies got out safely."

"Me too."

"I wonder what caused it..."

"Wait," Spike said, sounding worried, "isn't Canterlot mostly marble and stone anyway?"

"Yes, but..." She hadn't thought of that. Rocks can't burn. "Are you saying it could've been planned?" she asked.

"No, I was just saying it was weird. But," he looked at the ruins, "do you think it was?"

"I... I don't think so." She scanned the skies around Canterlot for Rainbow.

"What're you looking for? I could help."

"No, Spike. I'm... I'm just seeing if anypony was leaving."

"Huh. Okay then."

They arrived at the airspace above the city. She again looked for Rainbow, looking around ashen buildings and columns of lingering smoke.

"Uh..." Spike said, looking down, "it sure seems like a lot of medical tents are set up."

"Why wouldn't there be?" Twilight replied. "This whole place was on fire for the last few hours."

He scoffed and crossed his arms. "Well, are all the ponies in Canterlot that stupid?"

"Spike!"

"I'm just saying that these can't all have been from the fire."

Twilight shook her head. She couldn't find Rainbow anywhere. She reluctantly dropped her search, hoping Rainbow could take care of herself. "Come on. Let's go find the princesses."

Spike sighed in exasperation. "Then what were we just doing?"

She didn't want to let Spike know, but she was getting more and more fearful with each minute. She had noticed the tents and the injured ponies too but hoped Spike wouldn't. She had a growing fear this wasn't an accident, but she tried to rationalize the thought away. Maybe there were more ponies in Canterlot than she remembered. Maybe there were more wooden structures than she realized. She got worried again. Nothing she could come up with sat right with her. Her worry only mounted when she couldn't see either princess anywhere around the city. She stopped, scanned the ruined cityscape in desperation, spotted Celestia's tower, and flew towards it.

"Hah, that's cool," Spike said. "It's not all charred like the others."

"Yeah," Twilight said distractedly, "I suppose that's a good sign." But as they drew nearer, she knew something was terribly wrong. There were dozens pegasus guards surrounding the place, and the stairs leading to the tower were blocked by more guards. Why would a normal fire necessitate roping off Celestia's tower? She flew closer, and was momentarily stopped by a guard, who, upon realizing who the newcomer was, let her pass.

"What happened?" Twilight asked. The guard said nothing, just motioning towards the tower. Twilight's eyes widened. "Did something happen to Celestia?"

* * *

It was now eight in the morning. All those who were lucky enough to escape injury and death were called to meet in an unscathed park beneath a tower, the very same tower Twilight had addressed from during her coronation. Most ponies on the east coast of Equestria had awoken to alarms which were seemingly incorrect, some wondering if Celestia had a late night, others thinking perhaps their clocks were off. Those on the west coast were still blissfully unaware of the recent events, and most wouldn't know for several more hours. It seemed as though most of Equestria was only slightly inconvenienced from the developments of the previous night.

Up inside the tower, Twilight had finally ran out of tears. She lay on the floor, silently shaking. She noticed Spike had grown quiet next to her. He had fallen into a fitful sleep, twitching occasionally. She kissed his forehead and levitated him to a pile of pillows in the corner. Twilight started to pace the room, muttering to herself.

"What am I going to do? They're all just w-waiting down there." She glanced out through the glass balcony doors. "What do I say? What do I tell them? _H-how_ do I tell them?" She glanced out again, seeing a faint orange hue. She froze, and her eyes widened. "It's almost morning?! Wh... I hadn't even thought... o-o-oh..." She began pacing again. "D-do I raise the sun? Can I—no, _should_ I even raise it? How do I—" She shook her head and took a deep breath.

Twilight went over her notecards for what must have been the tenth time before throwing them aside in frustration onto a pile of others. She hung her head. There was simply no way to prepare for this. She turned and walked slowly to the balcony door. Opening it, the sounds and smells of the outside overwhelmed her. She walked outside, looked to the crowd, who had all hushed as soon as they noticed their sole princess, took a deep breath, and started her address, speaking deliberately.

"Early this morning, Canterlot was attacked by forces of the Griffon Kingdom. They came as thieves—swiftly, cowardly, without remorse, without mercy—and left just the same. We do not know the cause for this aggression, nor of how they managed to sneak this far into Equestria." She paused, looking at the crowd, noting the stark difference in size between now and her coronation so long ago.

Her friends had finally found her, but they stopped short of the door upon realizing Twilight was speaking. They opened the door quietly and stood a ways behind her. Spike stirred a bit. Twilight continued, more slowly.

"We lost a great many things over the span of a few hours: we fear half of the citizens of Canterlot have been lost; well over half of our once magnificent buildings now act as sepulchers instead of homes; all of the banks and treasuries in the city lay empty." She was shaking, and she held onto the rail with her hoof to stop. Spike awoke and saw the other ponies, clambering over to them. Fluttershy stepped forward to attempt to comfort her friend, but Rarity held her back.

Twilight took a deep breath and looked back at the crowd. "And..." She took a quivering breath. "P-Princess Celestia..." Several gasps were barely audible behind her. "... during the attack, lost—" Twilight could not stop her tears. She closed her eyes, trying to continue her speech. Her voice broke. The stress of the last several hours—the argument, the worry, the death—all slammed Twilight at once and broke over her dams. Every fiber of her being was in agony. She broke down on the balcony, kneeling, reeling, holding onto the railing for support.

Pinkie immediately leapt onto Twilight unopposed, startling her momentarily. Rarity, Spike, and Applejack followed, each adding their sorrow and hugs to the group. Fluttershy came slowly after, almost too shocked to move, and Starlight went to help her along. Fluttershy began to cry soflty at her touch, hugging Starlight. Starlight guided her to the group, pawned her off, and then stepped back as though she were intruding on something private.

Their shared moment of grief didn't last long. The crowd below erupted into a hotbed of both grief and hatred. Their cries soon pulled Twilight out of her own woes. She pried herself from the hug and looked down over the balcony's rail. Her heart ached for them. She looked over at the orange sky again, and an idea sprung to her mind.

"Attention, everypony, attention!" The crowd, with little encouragement, eventually fell silent. "In honor of our fallen and Princess Celestia, I invite any and all unicorns in the crowd to join with me in raising the sun. All those who wish to participate, please join me in facing east." Around half of the crowd made their way to the eastern edge of the park. Rarity and Starlight also turned. "I will start raising the sun," Twilight continued, "and as soon as you see the edge of it peak over the mountains, you start trying your best to raise it with me."

Twilight now turned to face east. The sky just above the mountain range was still just a dim orange. She focused all of her will to move that which she couldn't see. The sun slowly edged its way upward. Rarity and Starlight saw it first, and they each poured all the magic they could into making the sun climb. Slowly, unicorns in the crowd below saw the sun, and they too worked with their princess to raise the sun. The sky grew more and more blue as the sun ascended into its proper place. Eventually, the sun cleared the mountains, and it was officially morning. The crowd whooped and hollered and cheered.

"H-heh..." said Twilight weakly. She turned to the others. "I t-think it's the spring equinox today."

* * *

As everypony watched the sunrise, Luna had snuck onto a balcony on the other side of the park. She hobbled to the rail and looked at her dark moon. Disgusted, she hid it away quickly. Images of her nightmare and the previous evening continually peppered her mind, and she whimpered. In spite of herself, she glanced behind her.

She saw the sun rising, its orange and yellow rays illuminating the deep blue sky. She scolded herself for even daring to hope again. She finished lowering the moon and peeked over the balcony. Everypony still gazed east.

"I guess that is it then," she muttered to herself. She hobbled to the doors, trying not to think about what was going to happen to her and everypony in Equestria now. She chuckled weakly in a vain attempt to cheer herself. "Those doctors are surely all fretting about me."


	6. Home

**6**

 **Home**

"Gilda! Gilda, wake up!"

Gilda jerked, hitting away a claw. She squinted at the orange sky through an open window, trying to identify the silhouette who awoke her. Spying a scarf rustling in the breeze, she groaned.

"What are you doing in my house?" She rubbed her eyes. "It can't be past six in the morning." She yawned, stretching out to sleep again.

Greta danced about a bit. "W-well, no, it's nearly eight—"

"What?" Gilda cracked open an eye, looking past Greta at the sky. "It can't be eight."

Greta shuddered and cleared her throat. "I think the Pride killed Princess Celestia."

Gilda snapped up, falling out of her straw bed. "What?!" She scrambled up, keeping her eyes on Greta. "What do you mean they killed her?!"

"No," Greta said, pointing out a nearby window. "I didn't say— I meant that the Pride is back from wherever, a-and they're chanting something about a Swan, and it's almost eight, and the sun's not up, and—"

Gilda brushed past Greta and poked her head through the open window. Griffons had gathered in the streets, looking upward. Gilda craned her neck and saw a flock of griffons slowly circling above. A chant echoed down, but the words were indiscernible.

"I-I just talked to her," Greta mumbled from behind. Gilda glanced back, but Greta hushed. Gilda looked back outside, straining to hear what they were saying. She motioned Greta to follow her, but Greta didn't move, shaking her head. Gilda grumbled and flew outside onto the street.

She joined a gathering crowd. The flock above continued to circle and chant. The words shocked her ears: "The Swan is dead. The Swan is dead. The Swan is dead." It wasn't excited or bloodthirsty, as was the case when they killed a dragon; it felt ominous, almost solemn in a way. The words followed the pattern of a slow heart—continuous, droning, thudding.

The flock had the appearance of an arrowhead. Squinting, Gilda saw griffons laden with carts and sacks, and with wide eyes she could only presume them to be full of bits. The flock was led by one griffon: Gale. He held something in his claws, but Gilda couldn't tell what. She turned back to the window and saw Greta peeking down at her. Gilda leapt up and flapped her wings once, skittering into the window with a retreating Greta.

"That's what they're chanting, all right," Gilda said.

"O-o-oh," Greta mumbled, sitting down and clutching her scarf. "This is bad, Gilda. This is bad, this is _bad_..."

"Greta," Gilda tried to reassure, "we don't know if the Swan is Celestia."

Greta looked at Gilda incredulously, nearly shaking. "Who else could it be?! Who else would they call that?!"

A cry from outside saved Gilda from answering. She ran to the window again and saw the procession slowly descending to the the top of the great tree holding up Griffonstone. A few griffons from the procession dove down to the crowd, and as they left, the crowd made their way up, some zipping there immediately, others ambling slowly, talking with one another.

"I think we should go," Greta said from behind.

Gilda turned around, confused. "Really?"

"Well," Greta went on, "I think we need to know what happened, or at least what they say they did."

An odd sense of dread filled Gilda's heart. "Yeah, I get what you mean, but..." She sighed. "Whatever. Let's go." She began stepping out of the window when she stopped. "Oh! Grampa Gruff!" She went by Greta to the door and called down the stairs. "Hey, Grampa! Are you going to—"

"Bah!" was his reply. "I don't want anythin' to do with 'em!"

Gilda turned to Greta and shrugged. Greta nervously motioned to the window with her head, and the two flew outside. The procession had circled down over the capital building, giving the appearance of some great, slow tornado. From below, the crowd trickled into the building. Gilda and Greta made their way over, filing in behind a group of others.

They found spots in the middle of the crowd, away from the large open doors and the platform up front with Gale and his griffons. The Pride had tucked the cartloads of gold in the far back of the building and guarded it greedily. The crowd was abuzz with talk of what they had done, or where they had gotten their loot, or what their grand announcement might be. Two griffons in the group left and soon returned with what looked to be a fish tank. After a while, the group settled, and they turned to face the crowd with a militaristic air.

Gale finally walked forward from the group a little ways, still carrying his package. He was a smaller griffon, hardly larger than Gilda herself, but he nevertheless commanded the attention of his group and the crowd. The feathers around his face and adorning his chest were ashen grey. His golden eyes were encircled by stark white feathers. Other feathers on his chest were tipped with white as well, giving them an appearance of snow-capped mountains. His beak was small and slightly curved, like that of a shrike, and, along with his talons, was charcoal in color. A pair of white wings poked out from underneath a black cloak, which was fastened by a ruby clasp.

He set down the package carefully underneath him, seemingly guarding it. He looked back, and with a jerk of his head, motioned for another griffon. One flew over to him carrying what looked to be a covered bird cage. Gale nodded to the griffon, and the griffon flew back. Gale held up his claw, silencing the chattering crowd quickly. He looked about them and cleared his throat, straightening his clasp.

"Though I would be most eager to tell you of our recent conquest," he said, "I would like to give a little... demonstration." His voice took Gilda aback. Before today, he was able to make a decent speech once in a while, but it was never anything noteworthy. Now, he could very well be a genuine orator. His voice was more sonorous than before, and a subtle intonation of confidence pervaded. It exuded charisma and eloquence. Gilda for a moment thought his voice was in her own head, but she brushed it aside.

Gale propped up the collar on his cloak with a grin. With a flourish, he withdrew the small cover on the cage to reveal, to the astonishment of the crowd, a terrified crimson and gold phoenix. Its feathers were ruffled in every which way, some on the bottom of the cage, others still holding on but threatening to do the same. Seeing Gale, it backed to the opposite side of the cage and began violently flapping its wings. Gale rapped the cage sharply, and it ceased.

"I assume you all know how phoenixes live and die, hm?" he posed to the crowd. They murmured their assent, and Gale smiled. "Good, good. That saves us all time. So, as you all know, they are immortal. They cannot die. At least," he hit the cage again, causing the bird to squawk, "not without help." He plucked a golden feather from the bird and twirled it in his claw. "Well, how do you suppose we could kill a phoenix, an immortal bird of _fire?"_

Gale snapped his claws, and two griffons from behind laden with the fish tank waddled up to him and set it down. With a twirl of his claw, Gale let the golden feather tumble down into the water. It hit the surface and sizzled, quickly turning grey and black before disintegrating. The phoenix began to screech, tipping over the cage. With an amused chuckle, Gale set the cage back upright and rested a claw on top of it.

"Now," he resumed, looking back at the audience. "However a phoenix dies, as long as its ashes are able to reignite, it lives again. But _drowning_ a phoenix..." He lifted the cage up and suspended it over the tank. He leered at the bird, who cowered from him as best it could, pushing up against the bars. "Are you ready for a swim?"

The phoenix began howling, flapping its wings in protest and futilely trying to bite at Gale's claws. He slowly lowered the cage into the water, letting its surface singe the poor bird's feet. Its cries rose in pitch to a shrill. It began hopping around and frantically sweeping its wings, casting gold and crimson feathers aside into the water. Its wails pierced Gilda's ears, went through her head, and landed in her chest. She plugged her ears to no avail, as did Greta and many others in the audience.

The cage continued to lower, and the phoenix inside could no longer avoid the water. It then tried to fly, hitting its great wings against the cage, though it soon hit the top and fell. The water rose to its belly, then its chest; the water was boiling now. All the while, the protests of the phoenix were becoming more frantic and choppy, and it splashed and thrashed about in the cage. The feathers in the submerged water were becoming dull, slowly turning black. Soon, the water was up to its neck, and it made a last attempt to bite at Gale's claws. With a sudden movement and a final squawk, the whole of the cage was released and submerged. Then everything was silent.

It sank right to the bottom, and Gale watched attentively. The cage became momentarily obscured by bubbles, but they soon cleared, and the phoenix's agony was visible again. It continued writhing and flapping its wings, and it began to swim up and grabbed the bars with its talons, trying to force itself through the cage. Its warm glow was entirely gone now, and it had changed to a sooty black. It spun around desperately, shedding more and more crumbling feathers. Its movements finally began to slow, eventually stopping altogether. A last gasp of air escaped from its beak.

A few moments passed before the black figure slowly collapsed into a cloud of ashes. They settled at the bottom of the cage, creating a pile as chaotic as the phoenix's final throes. After a few seconds, a flash of white flared from the ashes but afterwards remained undisturbed. A few more seconds, and a flash of light yellow appeared, but still nothing happened. A longer stretch of time passed before the ashes glowed orange, longer still before they feebly pulsed red, and then they finally stopped.

The crowd began chittering, most in impressed voices. Gilda had been unable to tear her gaze during the display, a dark feeling billowing in her chest.

"I can't believe he did that," Greta muttered. Gilda's eyes darted to her, and Greta looked at her. "I mean, drowning a phoenix? That's just..." She shook her head in disgust. "That's like... a _sin_. They're a symbol of life itself. Killing one is just... so _wrong_ , like... It makes me feel sick." Gilda could only nod solemnly. The crowd around them hushed, and Gilda looked at Gale again with a renewed sense of foreboding.

"Thus," Gale said, "as a phoenix can be killed, the very creature which represents immortality, so too can other supposedly immortal beings." He made a movement towards the package.

"Now, I feel the tale of our recent exploits is long overdue. Would I be incorrect by saying a great many of you are now more focused on the cartloads of gold than on me?" He garnered some scattered laughter from the crowd. "Yes, I thought so. Of what you see before you we have not a tally, but we do estimate our modest earnings to be exceeding a few hundred million bits!" Surprised cheers rippled through the crowd. "For you see," Gale said, his voice cutting through the crowd, "last night, our gallant griffons here attacked and plundered the Equestrian city of Canterlot and the Crystal Empire!"

The crowd quieted in astonishment, with only a few awed whispers being traded here and there. Greta began to tremble.

"And not only was this bird a phoenix," he continued, hitting the tank in front of him, "it was none other than the beloved pet of Princess Celestia." He raised a claw to his beak in mock thought. "How elegant, how… _poetic;_ an immortal princess companioned with another immortal creature. Though, as I have just demonstrated, immortality does not entail invulnerability." He slowly undid the knot on the package.

"The raid was not merely for gold, my friends. Last night, we accomplished something no other nation nor species nor generation could ever dare to achieve! Last night, we have made our voice heard throughout Equestria and the world! Last night, we united the griffons once more! Last night..." He grasped something from inside the package and began flying upwards, no longer taking care to conceal it. Gilda faltered and held her wings closer to herself. Gale was clutching a pair of white wings and a long white unicorn horn. He stopped, and, raising his trophies in the air, he shouted triumphantly, "We killed Princess Celestia!"

His voice reverberated in Gilda's skull, and she nearly staggered, her insides turning cold. Greta helped her, but she herself seemed unstable. The rest of the crowd looked in awe between the trophy and one another as if to be reassured what they heard was what was spoken.

"Princess Celestia is dead!" Gale declared again. The crowd around Gilda and Greta finally erupted in yells and cheers, and the two looked at each other with dread. Gale's laugh echoed in the building. "The Sun has set! The Swan has sung her last song!"

At that moment, the first beams of sunlight forced its way through the dilapidated ceiling, casting its golden light into Gale's eyes. He drew his cloak up to cover his face, and a few griffons from the back took some fallen drapery and covered the holes. The light soon vanished, and Gale nodded at the back. He slowly descended, still proudly displaying the wings and horn. When he landed again, he took great care to wrap his trophies up again.

"Unfortunately," he continued, turning back to the crowd, "the Raven still lives." He growled, swishing his tail. "In spite of this, our plan worked beautifully. The ponies have been successfully blinded. We left Canterlot burning and in turmoil. Without their Heart... hold on." He stopped, turning and motioning to a cart behind him. A griffon hefted over to him a sizable turquoise heart.

He looked back at the crowd and held up the Heart, letting the griffons gaze at it. "Without their Heart, the Crystal Empire and its citizens lie frozen. I think this Heart could be a worthy replacement for our long-lost Idol of Boreas, no?" The majority of the crowd assented, and he set the Heart down next to the package.

"Their armies were weak," he continued, "as we had supposed, and we predict Equestria shall not be ready to retaliate for weeks to come." He made a grand sweep with his claw. "In the interim betwixt now and their attack, we shall prepare as well."

He sighed heavily and looked at the crowd. "Now, I perceive there are a few of you who feel what we did was... unwarranted." He said the last word with contempt. He continued angrily, his feathers ruffling around his neck. "Need I remind you the reason _why_ we live in squalor, _why_ the Idol of Boreas lies in the bottom of the Abysmal Abyss, _why_ we have lost our pride and our unity?" He glowered. "I should think not."

He snapped his claws, and a griffon handed him a scroll. Gale unfurled it and with a loud voice proclaimed, "We the Griffons of the once mighty Kingdom of Griffonstone, in order to restore Pride, establish Unity amongst ourselves and our fellow griffons in the east and abroad, ensure future economic Prosperity, and to right the wrongs dealt to us by Equestria, do hereby reestablish the Griffon Kingdom and do declare war on the Tyranny that is Equestria!"

The crowd whooped and hollered their approval. Greta started to back towards the door, but the griffons behind them were blocking the way, both on the ground and in the now raucous air. Gilda kept muttering to herself, "This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening..."

"Now, now," said Gale, pretending to quiet the audience. "Let us continue." The fervor of the crowd took a little while to settle, of which Gale seemed to be pleased. "I do not think it too presumptuous we are all in agreement, that we are of one mind." He paused in what Gilda could tell was feigned thought. "Now, what kingdom can call itself such without a king?" He made an innocent gesture to himself and smiled.

Silence followed for a moment. Then, a griffon behind Gale shouted, "Long live King Gale!" The group then started a chant, "Gale! Gale! Gale!" The first few in the front joined in, "Gale! Gale! Gale!" followed by more and more from the middle, "Gale! Gale! Gale!" until the whole building shook with his name, "Gale! Gale! Gale!"

Gilda nudged Greta. "C'mon," she whispered, "let's get outta here. This is making me sick."

Greta shook her head. "We can't, not with this crowd."

"We'll slip right out," Gilda said. "They won't even notice—"

"No, no," Greta insisted. "I mean, we can't leave until they leave. Think of what they might do to us." Gilda winced, and Greta nodded. "We'll just wait until—"

"But where are the others?" Gale said. Gilda turned to look at him with a newfound distaste. Gale held up an upturned claw. "Surely—and I am not unappreciative of your generous support—but surely there must be more griffons in Griffonstone than are present."

Someone from behind Gale flew up and towards the doors. "Round them up!" he called below. The sense of dread came back to Gilda in full force. The group on the platform immediately followed the first griffon with bloodthirsty cries. Many in the back crammed through the doors, flooding outside.

Greta, shuddering, looked at Gilda. "I-I don't like the way he said that," she said.

Gilda nodded curtly. She looked at the jammed doors, and the flapping of the drapery blocking the sun caught her gaze. She half picked up Greta and motioned to the crack. They quickly flew over and tore down the tattered fabric, letting light shine through. It was just big enough. Gilda forced her way through, tumbling outside. Blinking, she turned to see Greta doing the same. Soon, she was out, and the two looked around Griffonstone.

A portion of the crowd had flowed through the streets, some knocking on doors and others barging in bearing the good news and recruiting. Most of the crowd flew up, creating their own processions like the Pride when they had returned, complete with chants of their new King and the dead Swan.

Gilda looked to her house and gasped. The door had just slammed shut, and a group of griffons were flying away. Gilda saw a glint in one of their claws. "Grampa Gruff!" she cried. She dove down to her house, Greta struggling to keep up.

Gilda landed and barged through the door, her eyes blinking in the dark. "Grampa?! Where are you?! Are you alri—" She froze, her heart skipping a beat. Gruff was on his back, gasping and sputtering. He shakily turned to look at Gilda, and she leapt over to him, her eyes darting everywhere. His claws held at his rising and falling chest, a fast red stream flowing through them into a puddle underneath him. Greta still stood by the door, too stunned to move.

Wheezing, Gruff shakily raised a claw, and Greta took it with both of hers. He tried to say something, but he coughed and sputtered blood on himself. He locked eyes with Gilda, and it seemed to her as though he were trying to speak through them. He gasped once more before his head fell back and hit the ground. Gilda was still looking through tears into his eyes, still holding with shaking claws onto his. Greta yelled something at her, but Gilda was somewhere else.

A rough set of claws grabbed Gilda's shoulders and tore her away from Gruff, leading her outside. She kept her eyes on him until the front door shut was slammed shut. The claws forced her up into the air and took her over to the town square, where around thirty other griffons had been corralled. The claws, once she had landed, then shoved her stumbling into the crowd. Greta quickly found her and stood next to her, saying something. Gilda looked at the straw-hewn ground, her gaze distant and her tears silent.

"It doesn't have to be this way," Gale said from somewhere above Gilda. He spoke as though betrayed. "It's not too late to accept our offer. We griffons can be united once more in pride. Don't you see? This is our great future. Please. Join me, join _us_. We can be together again." No one said anything. No one moved.

 _"Then leave."_

The words prickled the back of Gilda's mind, and she jumped. She looked around, blinking tears away, and everyone else seemed to have been startled too. She glanced at Gale's commanding claw and saw he was pointing north. Greta gently nudged Gilda and flew upwards. She looked at her humble group of thirty and then at Gale, who reaffirmed his gesture with a stern nod. She tearfully turned and began flying north. Gilda numbly followed, and, one by one, the rest of the group took off. They slowly gained altitude and distance, slipping away from their Griffonstone and its split mountain.


	7. Wake

**7**

 **Wake**

Everypony who was able to walk assembled themselves to a grassy park in an area of Canterlot untouched by fire. At its edge, overlooking Ponyville and the rest of southern Equestria, stood a towering cherry tree in full bloom, its pink petals tumbling off the cliff. At the base of the tree, a small white headstone rested in front of fresh dark dirt. Between the tree and the crowd stood Luna, Twilight, and her friends, all before a lone podium. The park wasn't big enough to accommodate all present, so many stuck their heads out of windows and piled into the streets nearby. Everypony had their heads down in silence, save for those quietly weeping.

Twilight looked up and nudged Luna, who nodded and shakily rose on three legs. Some in the front saw and silently got the attention of others. Luna limped around to the west side of the tree, unable to look up. She lit her horn and lowered the sun, using what was left of her will not to break down. Most of the crowd now watched her, as did Twilight and her friends. Luna felt the sunlight's warmth fade away, and a small yelp escaped her lips. She hesitantly opened her eyes and saw only an orange band behind the mountains.

She put her head down again and hobbled to the other side of the tree. She glanced at the crowd, unsurprised they were watching. She lit her horn and raised a black moon. It was nothing more than a void of stars to her now, not that she had the heart to look at it anyway. Many in the audience somberly looked downwards again as Luna staggered to the front and sat with the others.

Spike opened his eyes and nodded at Twilight, motioning her to the podium. She looked at Luna and the others. An extra chair sat between Applejack and Pinkie, and Twilight flinched. She took a shaky breath and walked to the podium. She cleared her throat, cast a spell on her voice to amplify it, and scanned the crowd. They were frightened, scared, and exhausted. The smell of soot and ash still hung over the city. Twilight sighed and finally spoke.

"Thank you for your reverence." She took a deep breath. Luna noticed Twilight didn't have any notecards with her again. "We have all lost today." The crowd somehow grew even quieter. "In the short span of a few hours, thieves have come and taken from us all. We have all been hurt today. We have all witnessed horrors we dared not imagine. We have all..." She looked down. "Lost. Not just here in Canterlot, but all across Equestria. We have lost our security. Our innocence. Our peace of mind. Our naïveté.

"But," she looked back at the crowd, "there is one thing we haven't lost: hope. That is the one thing they cannot take without us giving it up: hope. Hope that from these ruins and ashen walls we will rise and become strong. Hope that from our sorrows and our grief we will find joy and happiness once more. Hope that those who now lay to rest will find peace. Hope that those who forced their will against us will answer to justice." She paused and scanned the crowd again. "Hope that we will prevail. Keep hope close to your hearts."

Luna lowered her head. What hope? Her left hoof smarted, and she pulled it closer to herself. What good is hope? She had hoped ponies would love her all those years ago. She had hoped her sister would understand her. She had hoped she could come back home. She hoped and hoped and hoped until her heart gave out. She grew to despise the word over the millennium of isolation.

What hope? She had hoped her sister would be okay. She had hoped her nightmare was just that. She had hoped the fire would be quelled and that nopony had died. She had hoped her sister would still be here. She had hoped never to see her sister's face contorted into fear, to see her sister lie dead in front of her. She had hoped never to run away, to be a coward. She had hoped never to be alone again.

 _What hope?_

She could feel her upper lip begin to tremble, and she fought to keep a straight face. The last thing the ponies needed was to see their leader weak. That's why she didn't allow herself to speak to them. They needed to cling onto whatever shred of "hope" they had left. She wouldn't help them any by crying. Besides, she reasoned, the others have already talked to the ponies, have already said to them what she would have said. She raised the moon and set the sun. She had done her job.

She flattened her ears. No. Her job was much more than that, so much more. She never should have ran. The memory of the previous night left a sour taste in her mouth and a pit of lead in her heart. She found it harder and harder to deny her sister's death wasn't her fault. There were so many things she could have done. She kept asking herself why she didn't do anything. If only she wasn't wrapped up in her own problems, if only she had stayed and fought, if only she had been doing her job, if only she hadn't been a coward, if only she had done a million other things...

Her leg pained again, and hatred flared in her heart for herself. She deserved more than this, more than a broken leg and a few gashes. She should be dead, not her sister. She didn't even think about her sister until she was safe herself. She hated the idea of herself more than the griffons. They hadn't killed her sister. She did. She knew she did.

Luna opened her eyes when she no longer heard Twilight speaking. She looked and saw Twilight staring off at something. For a moment, Luna feared it to be more griffons. She scanned the skies, but to her relief, found nothing. She looked back at Twilight and tried to follow her eyes. She found herself tracking a small white speck fluttering down. Twilight held out a wing towards the speck, and Luna could feel something was wrong. The crowd murmured as more and more of them also found the speck.

As it drew nearer, Luna saw it was a snowflake. In an instant, she knew who it was from. She watched as Twilight caught it and hastily unfolded it. Twilight gasped, tensing up. She stood rigid for a few moments, simply staring at the snowflake. Luna made to stand up, but Twilight cleared her throat. She began to shake, setting the note down on the podium.

"I-I-I have just received wor..." She braced herself on the podium, her breath shuddering. Luna looked down, now assured of what it said. She looked up as Twilight continued. "I-I have just received word the Crystal Empire was attacked, and..." Twilight grimaced and stared at the podium, taking shaky breaths. "The Crystal Heart is gone." Tears overflowed onto her cheeks, but she didn't utter a sound. Luna could tell there was something else, and she again went to stand up, but Twilight looked to the crowd. Her voice broke in a small cry, and she teleported away

Her friends looked at each other worriedly. The crowd stood stunned, and Luna sighed, getting up and walking to the podium. She cleared her throat, gaining the attention of a few in front, but she didn't know what to say. Most of the crowd now turned to her, looking lost and scared.

She spoke in a somewhat dampened Canterlot voice. "I think it best you all go home now." With a wave of a wing, she bid them leave. The crowd stood for a while, a new sense of confusion and shock washing over them, but they slowly dispersed, talking in low voices. Luna looked down, trying to piece together where the others said Twilight was. Her eyes passed over the snowflake note, and she flinched at the first word.

 _Celestia_

 _Griffons attacked. Heart gone._

 _Shining dead. Help._

 _Cadence_

Luna closed her eyes and shook her head, inwardly groaning. The Frozen North had surely retaken the Crystal Empire by now. She took the note, slowly folded it back into a snowflake, and held it aloft in front of her. "We will get the Crystal Heart back," she whispered to it. "I promise you."

* * *

In the few remaining clouds above Canterlot were the Wonderbolts. Tasked with guarding the funeral, they remained unseen by the public. Soarin' stood up, their mission technically a success. The other Wonderbolts stood too, most gloomily speaking to each other about the news.

Soarin' noticed Rainbow a little ways away from the rest of the pegasi. She had not stirred from her spot, and her little cloud was darker than the others. Soarin' flew over to Rainbow, but he stopped when she appeared to be crying. Her head was down, hidden behind hooves, and her shoulders were heaving softly. Nervously, he landed next to her and lightly tapped on her shoulder. "Dash?"

Rainbow snapped up, taking in a shaky breath. Her ears perked up as she quickly turned to look at Soarin'. He backed up a pace.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"No," she said softly. "No, you're..." She looked down and sniffed. "Fine." Her ears drooped again, and she laid back down. Soarin' sat down next to her, unsure of what to do. Rainbow sniffed, and a tear escaped her eyes. He timidly put a wing on her back. She flinched at his touch but didn't say anything. She looked at him and gave him a weak smile before resting her head again.

Soarin' cleared her throat, but Rainbow didn't move. "I, uh..." He sighed. "You sure you don't wanna say goodbye to your friends?"

Rainbow's ears flattened, and she turned away from him. "I already have," she muttered.

He slowly laid down next to her, his wing still around her. "Are you doing alright, Dash?" he asked quietly. Rainbow shook her head. "Do you wanna talk about it?" She paused for a moment before again shaking her head no, burying it deeper into her hooves. He sighed, unsure what else to do. "Well, I'm here. Uh," he cleared his throat, "I-I mean, if you need somepony to talk to, I'm right here, Dash."

She said nothing for a moment, and Soarin' feared he had done something wrong. She then nodded and quietly croaked, "Thanks." She nestled herself into the cloud and yawned. With a small chuckle, Soarin' was impelled to yawn too.

After a few quiet minutes, he could feel her breathing calm down and her wings lose their tension. He glanced at Rainbow, who looked to be nearly asleep. Blushing, he began to stand up quietly.

"Alright, 'Bolts!" Spitfire shouted. Both Rainbow and Soarin' started and stood at attention. "We have a long flight ahead of us!" Spitfire continued. "If we don't stop, we'll be at Manehattan well before sunup!" Rainbow sighed softly, looking back at her spot. The other Wonderbolts too had small murmurs of dismay.

Spitfire looked about to shout again, but a yawn interrupted her. With a mirthless laugh, she turned back to the Wonderbolts. "I guess it _has_ been quite a day. Fine. We'll camp here for the night." There were a few groggy cheers, and Spitfire held up a hoof for silence. "But we leave at sunup, _right_ at sunup. At the _crack_ of dawn. Understood?" Rainbow mumbled something close to yes before turning around and laying back down on her cloud. Soarin' saluted to Spitfire and looked at his old spot.

"Soarin'?" Rainbow said. Soarin' looked back at her. Her ears laid flat, and she blushed. "Could you... maybe... stay?" He was taken aback slightly, and she muttered to herself.

He walked over to her, nervously smiling. "Uh, y-yeah, sure." He slowly laid back down at her side. After a moment's deliberation, he put a wing over her back again.

She nestled closer to his side, making him blush. "Thank you," she said.

Soarin' thought perhaps now she would want to talk, but within a few minutes, she had fallen asleep.

* * *

With the sun now on their left instead of their right, Gilda and the other griffons were still meandering north. Gilda and Greta ended up leading the group. When they had left at dawn, one in the back had noticed there were more griffons behind them, armed with spears. Greta urged them to quicken their pace, but the other griffons kept their distance from the refugees, as if there to ensure they left, and after only an hour, they had turned around and left. From then on, the refugees took frequent breaks, though Greta encouraged them to keep heading north.

"Where are we going, Greta?" Gilda asked quietly. Greta didn't answer, and Gilda looked down. They were going slow; they only now were passing over Guto River, which normally was an hour from Griffonstone at a decent pace. Gilda shivered and, looking up at the darkening sky, began to worry. They were kicked out of Griffonstone so quickly that no one was able to bring with them anything, and, as they flew farther and farther north, they drew nearer to the cold mountains.

Gilda glanced backward at the wearied flock and then forward to the mountains. Where were they going? Where would they sleep tonight? What would they eat? How would they survive this? The griffons here, aside from Gilda, Greta, and a precious few, weren't the solitary and young ones of Griffonstone. They were the families, the children, and the old. What were they going to do? More questions of doubt and worry peppered Gilda's mind, and she wanted to talk to someone. She looked at Greta, but she seemed wrapped in enough worry herself.

Somewhat defeated, Gilda looked down. Rusty maroon covered the tips of her claws. She clenched them, holding back sudden tears. Those griffons were lucky they ran off when they did, she thought. If only she were there. How could they have killed Grampa Gruff, an old griffon? _Why_ would they? Her vision became blurred, and she shut her eyes. It just wasn't fair. Why did they just kill him? Why did he have to die? Why not someone else? He didn't do anything to them.

She tried to suppress herself, but a cry escaped her beak. She clamped it shut and looked at Greta, who had glanced at Gilda. Greta seemed to study Gilda's face quickly and harshly before turning to face north again. Gilda couldn't help but feel hurt. She knew Greta was worried herself, but Gilda didn't think she would look at her with disdain. Greta was there, standing in the doorway, when Gilda was with Grampa Gruff. She knew, she had to know, what Gilda was feeling. Why wouldn't she talk to her?

"Alright," Greta said, startling Gilda. She stopped and faced the group, who quieted. "I think we need to find someplace to settle down for the night."

"Where at?" one said.

"Well," said another, "Griffonstone station is just a little north of here. We could stay there." Some other griffons nodded.

"Hm," Greta said. "Not too many other options, huh?"

"There's Equestria," Gilda added.

"Nah," Greta waved a dismissing claw. "Too far."

"But it's just another hour away…" Greta turned her head away, and Gilda frowned and turned her head down. The rest of the group muttered to themselves, but no other idea was suggested.

"So I guess it's settled then?" Greta asked. "The station? I mean, it's the best we've got." After a moment's deliberation, the majority assented, and they resumed their course. Gilda slowly drifted towards the back of the group.

After another few minutes of silent flight, they found it—or rather, what was left of it. Instead of a quaint brown building next to two thin metal lines, it was a fiery heap against the grassy hillside. The whole group slowed and stopped midair, many shaking their heads.

"Great!" an elderly griffon said next to Gilda. "Fantastic! All that flyin' for a no-good bonfire!"

"O-okay," Greta said, breathing quickly and pacing. "Okay, okay, u-uh..." She looked at the others, looking lost. "What now?"

"We can still stay there for the night," one suggested. "At least the fire would be warm." A few chuckled at that.

"What about Equestria?" Gilda mentioned again. "Trottingham isn't much father from here." Some murmured their agreement in the back.

"Seriously?" Greta said. "We'd be killed if we went there! We're griffons, the bad guys to them, remember?"

The group soon devolved into little disputes, all saying why their idea was right and another's wrong. Gilda watched as Greta huffed and separated herself from the group. She looked to the east, and after a moment, she turned somewhat excitedly to the group.

"The mountains!" Everyone turned to look at her. "The Pride wouldn't go to the mountains! That's the complete opposite way of Equestria!"

"Are you mad?" said one. "We'd die of cold up there!"

"Well," said Greta simply, "correct me if I'm wrong. To the north is Bugbear territory—bad. West is Equestria—also bad. South is the Pride— _very_ bad. The east is just some empty mountains." She looked around at the others expectantly.

Gilda raised a claw. "I still think Trottingham's a safe bet."

Greta glared at Gilda and gestured to everyone else. "I'm not willing to risk it." She turned her attention to the crowd. "Anyone else? No? Alright." She paced a bit, scratching her head. "Alright. I think we should still stay at the station, at least for tonight. We'll scrounge up whatever we can, and then, in the morning, we'll head for the mountains." She pointed to the fire and motioned to it. "The day's almost up. Let's go!"

Both night and the thermometer fell quickly. The fire was slowly starting to die out, but it still radiated plenty of heat, preventing anyone from coming too close to it. Griffons surrounded it and started making makeshift nests in the tall grass nearby.

Gilda looked west at the mountains separating them from the ocean Trottingham. How could Greta be so stupid? The ponies wouldn't attack them. They aren't armed. Their group was made of families, not soldiers. Whatever. She'll see. One night in the snow, and Greta would beg for the group to go to Trottingham, where it's civilized and safe.

Gilda clenched her beak and started stamping grass into a little nest close to the fire. Why won't Greta listen to her? Why won't she _talk_ to her? She's supposed to be her friend. What's going on? Gilda pulled some grass and attempted to fluff up the edges of her nest. When they fell flat for the third time, she gave up and threw it all into a big pile in the middle. She lied down on top and stared at the stars above.

"Do you need some help, Gilda?" Gilda flipped around and squinted at the figure silhouetted by the bonfire. She almost recognize the voice. "Oh, sorry!" the griffon said. She soared over Gilda and landed to let the fire show herself.

"Uh," Gilda said, "who're you, again?"

"I'm Gabby!" the blue-grey griffon said with a smile. "Don't you remember me?" She started counting on her claws. "I'm one of the mailgriffons, I delivered that letter of yours to Rainbow Dash a few weeks ago—"

"Right, right," Gilda said, a bit annoyed. "I remember you."

"So, uh, do you need any help? I noticed your nest is, well..." She pulled at some nearby grass. "It's a bit flat."

Gilda stood. "Yeah, I know."

"Don't worry, I can help!" Gabby started fluffing up one part of Gilda's nest. "I already made three nests for some of the older folks and—"

"Thanks," Gilda interrupted, "but I... I like my nest flat."

"Oh." Gabby chuckled nervously. "Sorry. Didn't know." She cleared her throat and awkwardly stamped flat what she had worked on. "Anyway, if you need help with anything, you know who to look for!" She waved and flew off, landing next to a family of four.

Gilda rolled her eyes and looked around for Greta, whom she found walking around the burning building. Gilda groaned. "I need to talk to her. Idiot." She brushed off some grass and flew over to her, slowing upon hearing Greta yell.

"Ah, damn! There's nothing here!" She looked at Gilda approaching with an exasperated huff. "What do _you_ want?"

Gilda landed a few feet from Greta. "I just wanted to talk."

Greta groaned. "Oh, what, about Trottingham?"

"No! Look, would you just shut up and listen for a—"

"No, Gilda! I have too much to worry about right now!"

"I just wanna know why—"

"Just leave me _alone!_ I— _"_

 _"Fine!_ I get it!"

"Thank you!" Greta snapped back.

Gilda turned around, swishing her tail. She walked over to her small nest and crawled inside, turning away from the others. She started to cry softly, letting her mind taunt her until sleep mercifully took her away.


	8. Refuge

**8**

 **Refuge**

"It'll be okay, everyone."

Everyone was high above the earth, flying somewhere. Gilda was following Greta, who led the group. The crowd behind her was busy talking, but she couldn't make out anything in particular. Below them were clouds, almost like craggy mountain tops, stretching all the way to the horizons, and above was an impeccable shell of azure. The group never ascended or descended. They kept going forward, following Greta.

"Hey, Greta," Gilda called ahead, "where are we going, exactly?" Greta didn't seem to hear, so Gilda cupped her claws around her beak. "Hey! Greta!" She didn't respond. "Hello?" Nothing. Growing frustrated, Gilda picked up speed to catch up.

"Hey!" She stopped in front of Greta, crossing her front legs. "What's up? Where are we going?" Greta didn't even blink. She kept flying past Gilda, who was now seething. "Say something, damn it!" Accepting Greta wouldn't respond, Gilda sighed and resumed following her.

In an attempt to calm herself down, and to get her mind off of Greta ignoring her again, she thought of where they could be heading. She looked down again, wondering if she missed some landmark or mountain among the clouds. Seeing nothing, she wanted to dip down below the layer to take a peek. Before she descended, however, she had the thought she might lose sight of the group. She debated a bit with herself, then decided to stay, fear winning over curiosity.

She tried to think of the last things they did before they left for this 'journey' of theirs. To her knowledge, they had been at the station seemingly hours before, and she couldn't remember how exactly they had ended up several miles high. She scanned the sky again, wondering where the sun was. She saw nothing—no sun, moon, stars, clouds, birds—nothing but the giant empty sky.

Gilda noticed the group chattering had tapered off a bit. Looking behind her now, she could have sworn there were more of them. She looked back at Greta again. Flying up to her, she looked at her face. Greta didn't seem to notice. There wasn't an expression to be read.

"Greta?" Gilda shyly got closer. "Are you okay?"

"Just a bit further, everyone," Greta called back behind her. "We'll be there soon."

"Where?!" Gilda yelled, exasperated. "Why aren't you taking to _me?!"_ She looked back at the crowd, now even smaller than before. Frantic now, she flew from griffon to griffon, trying to talk to them. None acknowledged her, all wearing the same expressionless face. Gilda, in desperation, started diving towards the distant cloud layer. If only she could get her bearings, she could know where—

"Gilda?"

She stopped. Looking above her, the crowd had vanished. The sky now grew to a faint purple, and Greta was slowly gliding downwards towards her. A cold, dark feeling filled her chest.

"Gilda," Greta asked again. "Where are you going?"

"Uh..." Gilda said nervously, Greta stopping a few feet in front of her. "Where did everyone go?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Greta remained expressionless.

"Wasn't there—? No!" Gilda pointed up. "There _was_ a crowd of griffons there like ten seconds ago! Where the hell are they? What's going on?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about." Greta held out a claw to Gilda. "Follow me."

Gilda backed up slowly. "Well, tell me where we're going then."

"Follow me," she said insistently, flying closer to Gilda.

"Hey, b-back off!" Gilda turned and dove downwards again. She didn't know what was going on, but she needed to know where she was.

 _"No."_

Gilda's heart skipped a beat, and her head twinged. Gale? Gilda didn't want to, but she turned and looked behind her. Whatever was following her wasn't a griffon. A dark smoke began hurdling downwards, closing very quickly the gap which separated them. Gilda threw herself downwards. The sky darkened to black as if night had fallen, but she didn't need to see now. She grew closer to the clouds and braced herself to plunge through them. They were as solid rock, and she crumpled onto them. She looked to see if the smoke still followed. Barely making it out in the pitch darkness, it was still in pursuit.

 _"Gilda."_

Feathers on end, she bolted, skimming above the clouds. The smoke was getting closer, the sky darker. Gilda could no longer see anything. She felt something get ahold of her tail, then her back legs, then her wings. She wrestled with the smoke, futilely clawing at it and twisting herself around.

"Help!" she cried. "Anyone, help me! Someone, please!"

"Gilda?" Greta spoke normally now, her face emerging from the smoke.

"Greta!" Her front legs were now swallowed by the smoke. "Stop this, please!"

"And ruin the fun?" The face laughed and contorted itself into a giant mouth, engulfing Gilda in complete blackness.

* * *

Gilda yelped as she woke, her claws shooting out from underneath her and grabbing grass and dirt. She let out a shaky breath, which rose silently in the morning air. "The hell?" she muttered. She shook her head, pulled her claws underneath herself, and shivered. She could hear other griffons talking to each other and moving around.

Groaning and stretching, she got up and looked around. The sun had barely peeked above the mountains, and the fire had completely died out, leaving behind a mess of blackened wood. The rest of the griffons were congregating around something. Yawning, Gilda flew over to the group. Greta was at the front, seemingly counting the griffons before her. Her eyes darted to Gilda, and Greta quickly looked away. Scowling, Gilda landed in the back of the group, trying to keep to herself.

"Hiya, Gilda!" Gilda jumped and spun around. Gabby, claw recoiling, stepped back. "Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!" Before Gilda could say anything, the crowd hushed, and Greta spoke.

"Good morning, everyone. Uh... Hope you all slept well!" No one said anything. Greta cleared her throat and laughed nervously. "U-um, so, what we're going to do is start heading to the mountains—"

"Alright," one griffon said from the front, "and then what? Where are we gonna find food? Or water? Where are we gonna stay?"

Greta appeared to take the questions in stride. "I've read about these mountains. There are caves and mines all over the peaks. That's where we'll be staying. We just have to find them."

"And food?" another repeated.

"It's springtime," said Greta, "turning to summer. It's not like it's perpetually winter in the mountains. There's gonna be fish in the river runoff there, and some small game coming out from hibernation. There should be some vegetation there, if I remember right. It won't be _great,_ I'll admit it, but it's away from the Pride and, most of all, safe." The group mumbled to itself, and Greta seemed to be confident in her answers.

"When do we leave?" Gabby asked. Gilda groaned.

"Uh..." Greta scratched her head and looked to the crowd. "Well? Are we ready to go?"

"As I'll ever be," Gilda muttered, but her comment was drowned out by the general assent of everyone else.

"Alright then," said Greta happily. "Let's go."

Greta leapt into the air and began to fly, and one by one, everyone else followed suit. Greta squinted against the sunlight at the mountaintops, eventually settling on one of the shorter peaks, and aimed herself at it. The ground started slipping away underneath them, and low-hanging clouds replaced it. They reminded Gilda of her nightmare, and she shuddered in spite of herself. The air, already chilly because of the early hour, started to become frigid. The sun warmed their faces somewhat, but the wind whisked the comfort away.

Gilda's stomach twisted and growled, and she realized she had not eaten since the scones she and Greta ate when she had returned from Equestria. She groaned. How long was this flight going to be? And what would they eat once they arrived, if there was anything at all? With a small bit of satisfaction, Gilda realized Greta would not have eaten since then either. Maybe it would teach her not to jump into things without thinking it though.

The refugees, after weaving through some of the smaller mountain peaks and slowly acclimating, eventually found themselves inside a wide green valley. The trees and flowers were budding, and there were a few brooks filled with runoff from the mountains' peaks. It practically looked like a paradise compared to the fields they had left and the freezing mountains which surrounded them. The griffons quietly talked with one another, most trading words of optimism.

Gilda dipped below the group, scanning the ground. Gilda watched, curious as to what could possibly be down there. Greta apparently found what she was looking for, since her gaze locked onto it for a moment before she rose back up. She faced the crowd, slowing them down. "We're here. Did any of you see it?" She gestured expectantly to where the slope of the mountain eased to a flat green area. "Look down there."

Gilda rolled her eyes and scanned the ground for a small cave. She didn't see anything at first, but others around her were getting excited. Gabby, who was right next to her, gasped when she saw it, and she wordlessly pointed the spot out to Gilda. She then finally caught a glimpse of something odd among the rocks. When she looked more closely, she saw a rusty metal door slightly ajar.

Gilda drifted toward Greta at the front of the flock. "Is that... a _bunker?"_

"Yep!" said Greta happily. "That's where we'll be staying. From what I've read, it's got plenty of space for us all."

Gilda tried to hold back laughter. "I thought you said we would be staying in caves and mines."

"Well, the bunker _was_ quite the productive mine back in its day, and there are a lot of natural caves connecting with those mines." She gave a half shrug. "I wasn't lying."

"What're we waiting for?!" Gabby yelled. "Let's go!" She dove, and many of the younger griffons followed, laughing and chasing one another. The group descended, still abuzz with anticipation. Gilda, though, started to feel a bit guilty. She had doubted Greta's calls in front of everyone, but she turned out to be right. Some friend she was. Perhaps Greta was right about Equestria too. Gilda looked at Greta, who was just a few feet below the rest of the crowd, still taking in the scene.

Should she say something to her? She didn't want to lose one of her only friends, especially not now. But Greta still had some explaining to do, Gilda reasoned. Why did she stand there doing nothing while Grampa Gruff died in Gilda's claws? Why did she go from simply ignoring her to actively telling her off? What happened to Greta?

Gilda frowned. She knew what happened; Gale and his stupid Pride happened. Greta, as with everyone else, was just anxious and scared out of their minds. Anyone would be standoffish. Gilda sighed. She shouldn't hold Greta to some ridiculous emotionally-stable standard. But still, she thought, Greta couldn't have said _anything_ nice to her?

The group finally landed, with Gabby and the kids all playing around stopping to look at the door. Greta walked over to it and, with a bit of effort, pulled at it. It slowly opened with a loud and rusty creak, and the sunlight revealed a large room in the other side.

"Uh-huh," said Greta, drumming her claws on the door. "It's dark. That's gonna be an issue."

"There might be lanterns or candles inside," someone offered.

Greta snapped her claws and pointed at them. "You're right. Good thinking."

Everyone wandered inside, still chattering. Griffons spread out, going into different darkened rooms, and pretty soon, lanterns were found and lit. Gilda and Greta walked together to a small room a little further away from the outside door. Squinting, trying to get their eyes adjusted to the dark, they found a bunk bed one one side and a table in the middle. There was something on the table, and Greta grabbed it.

"Aha," she said. "A lantern." She glanced around the room, looked at Gilda, and gestured to the beds. "Wanna share this room?"

"Sure," said Gilda.

"Cool." Greta started walking past Gilda. "I'm gonna go get a flame for this."

Gilda grunted. "I'll admit it. This isn't half bad."

"Hm?" Greta stopped and glanced back, tilting her head. "I didn't catch that."

"I _said_ this isn't half bad, the bunker and mountains and all."

"What's that?" Greta smiled. "It almost sounded like you said I was right." Gilda scoffed, and Greta laughed. "Well, I forgive you."

She returned not a minute later with a lit lantern and a grin. She set it on the table, and the two surveyed the room properly. After deciding who was sleeping where—Greta chose the bottom bunk—there was really nothing more to discuss. The room had little else to offer, so the two walked back out into the main room, where around two dozen others were socializing.

Greta sighed. "Being a leader is _fun,"_ she said sarcastically to Gilda. She flew up a few feet and over to the door. For those who didn't realize, she cleared her throat, and soon the room went silent. "Alright," she said, "thank you. Since there isn't much here, we need to look around for stuff: food, water, fuel for fire—y'know. Any volunteers?"

"Me!" proclaimed Gabby, flying up to Greta excitedly.

The crowd around Gilda grumbled. She shrugged and flew up. "Hell, there isn't anything better to do." The comment changed some of the others' minds, at which she scoffed quietly to herself.

* * *

Night rolled around, and all but one of the groups had arrived back safely. The griffons weren't terribly fortunate in their scavenging. Gilda, along with a few others, managed to bring back a few rabbits and fish, while others could find nothing but roots. There wasn't much wood for fire since most sticks and branches were soaked through by the melting snow. They all blamed the early spring weather for their rotten luck. Despite this, the griffons had plenty of water thanks to the brook; with some of buckets which had been found, one group went to it and filled them up. While everyone else was inside for the evening, Greta sat outside, anxious, shivering slightly in the nippy air.

Greta poked her head out from the bunker. "Hey," she said, making Greta jump a bit, "should we shut this big door here?"

Greta looked at it and up towards the sky. "No. It's not that cold. Everyone's doors should keep them warm."

"Alright." Gilda was about to go back inside when she noticed Greta slouch and sigh. Gilda scratched her head and hesitantly walked to her. "Still no sign of them?"

"No," said Greta. She swished her tail nervously. "Should we send a search party o-or something?"

"Nah. They're fine. If they're only lost since it's night, they'll just sleep somewhere and find their way back in the morning."

"What if the Pride got them?"

"A— uh..." Gilda drummed her claws. "Hm. Maybe they'd just let them go."

"Why?"

"They let us go before."

 _"Forced_ us to go." Gilda looked down, and Greta sighed. "This is my fault."

Gilda looked up and squinted at Greta. "What? How?"

"I told them to go."

"No," said Gilda, shaking her head, "you asked for volunteers. They left to who knows where."

"But still. I asked them. Shouldn't they be my responsibility?"

"I don't see it that way."

Greta huffed and looked down. "Alright, then." She cleared her throat. "So, uh, did anyone find anything?"

"Except a few more lanterns, not much."

"Did you find any food in that cafeteria?"

"Nope. None worth eating, anyway."

Greta sighed. "At least we have the brook."

Gilda nodded awkwardly. "Yep." Greta said nothing. "Well," said Gilda, walking back inside, "I'll see you later." Greta gave a weak wave before turning her attention back to the sky.

* * *

Gilda awoke the next day to find Greta's bed empty. After asking some of the others, she found Greta at the same spot as the previous evening. Her head was down, and she was swaying and occasionally jerking, as though she were trying to stay awake.

"Greta?" Gilda said a bit too loudly.

Greta yelped, jumping up in the air a bit. She faced Gilda, smoothing out her ruffled feathers. "Y-yes?"

"Did you stay out here all night? I didn't hear you come into the room."

"No. Well... sort of. I came in, but I couldn't sleep. I came back out here before the sun was up."

Gilda shook her head. "You need to get some sleep. They'll be here when they'll be here. You standing out here, staring out at those mountains, won't make them come back any faster."

"I know, I know."

"Come on inside," said Gilda putting a claw on her shoulder. "I'm serious about you sleeping. You were about to fall over a bit ago."

Defeated, Greta quietly said, "Okay."

Something behind Greta caught Gilda's eye. "Wait," she said, pointing to it. "Look over there—south. Just above the horizon." Set against the crisp blue sky were three odd shapes, all slightly rising and falling and growing closer.

"Those are too big to be griffons," said Greta with a touch of worry.

Gilda scoffed. "What, do you think those would be dragons?"

"Well, _maybe."_

"Nah. It's not. Why would they even be over here?"

"Alright. Then what _are_ they?"

"Beats me."

The two watched as the three shapes grew closer. After a few minutes, they were finally able to make out wings and legs on each one.

Greta gasped. "You know what... those might be our griffons." Tentatively, she flew up a few feet and waved to the three figures. The one in the middle waved back, then the two did as well. Greta landed, lost for words.

"I'd say so," said Gilda. She chuckled. "That one was probably Gabby." She looked to Greta, who was wiping her cheeks. "Are you...?"

Greta sniffed. "Crying? A-a bit, yeah. I was afraid they had died."

A little while later, after a crowd had gathered outside, the three griffons landed with their carts of supplies. Everyone quickly ran cans of food, blankets, coats, soap, and every other thing inside, all talking excitedly. Gabby wore a huge smile as she watched it all. Greta walked up to her, stunned.

"How?" she asked.

Gabby grabbed a piece of jerky from a bag and handed it to her and Gilda. "Not everyone in Griffonstone thinks we're traitors."

Gilda bit into the jerky hastily, then quickly realized it was as stiff as bark. With effort, she ripped off a small piece and held it in her mouth. The salt dried out her tongue, but after a day and a half of roots and raw meat, some variety was good. She savored the jerky until it became soft, where she was finally able to eat it properly.

"You went to Griffonstone?" Greta asked incredulously.

"Yep. Thought we could try our luck." She laughed and gestured to the carts. "I guess it was a good bet. We got just about everything we need."

"Did you happen to bring any firewood?" Gilda joked.

Gabby snapped a claw and turned to her cart, looking inside. Gilda looked at Greta, completely caught off-guard, and Greta chuckled. Gabby held up a small log. "We actually did. Not much, but..." She tossed it onto the ground. "Yeah. Firewood."

"You're a legend, Gabby," said Gilda with complete seriousness.

Gabby blushed. "It was nothing."

* * *

That evening, there was somewhat of a party held inside and outside of the bunker. Two fires were built a little ways outside, a smaller one for cooking the rabbits and fish, and another, larger one for recreation. Gilda and Greta, having already eaten, sat at the larger one. The night was exceptionally chilly, but it only made the fire feel warmer.

"I could get used to this," said Greta.

Gilda nodded, yawning. "It's like camping."

"It's just, y'know, indefinite."

"If it's this nice, I dunno if I'd care."

Greta laughed. "Fair enough."

Gilda felt something cold and wet on her neck. She grabbed at it in mild irritation but felt nothing. A snowflake passed her face, and she watched as it fluttered near the fire and melted. Looking up, she saw that there was a light but steady shower of snow falling. "Snow?" she whispered to herself.

Greta stood abruptly, also looking skyward. "What? Snow? But... but that's..." She threw up a claw in frustration. "It's supposed to be spring! What the hell?!"

"It's gotta be something to do with the pegasi," Gilda said, picking up a stick and snapping it in two. "Either they're too busy with the war to handle the weather, or they're doing this sort of stuff on purpose to mess with the Pride." She tossed one stick into the fire when a certain pegasus popped into her mind: Rainbow Dash. She jolted. She hadn't thought about her at all. Was she okay? What happened to her? Is she part of the war?

Greta groaned. "Can't they aim more south?" Gilda didn't answer, still lost in thought, and Greta sighed, sitting back down. "I hope it doesn't get too bad. We're kinda banking on it being nice here."


	9. Week

**9**

 **Week**

"Tia! _Tia!"_

Luna woke with a start. She looked around and realized she had fallen asleep on her bedroom floor, still wearing her royal attire. Holding back tears, she levitated a pillow to herself, buried her face, and screamed. She rested her head there for a while, staring at the nearby wall. Her stomach growled, and she curled up on the floor.

"Why does this keep happening?" She hit the floor with her good hoof. "I am the princess of the night, of dreams! _Why_ can I not prevent a simple nightmare?" She rolled onto her back, attempting to busy herself with the structure of the crystalline ceiling. It did nothing to calm her.

 _"How_ could I have fallen asleep? Yesterday and the day before were fine." She shivered. Stretching, she stood and walked to her bed. She picked up her blankets, wrapping herself up in them. "At least I could have had the decency to fall asleep in my bed."

She groggily walked out to the balcony. She gazed out at Ponyville, watching the ponies live out their lives. She saw several shops beginning to close up, fillies and colts beginning to trot back to their homes, and other ponies going slowly to different destinations.

It still amazed Luna, all of this. In this little town, there were hundreds of individual lives going on. Each life had gone through different events, seen different sights, heard different things, experienced something no other pony had before or will since. Through all of her dreamwalkings, after visiting countless ponies, she still couldn't fathom the limitlessness of their stories. If one took the time to write a day's happenings and place them together with all others', she doubted any library could hold them all.

A dark thought interrupted her awe. Yes, truly all ponies are unique in their experiences. Even their sufferings. She thought back to herself. To whom could she relate? Who could relate to her? The best she had was her sister, but even she couldn't help Luna at her worst. She felt trapped, helpless. She couldn't talk to anypony, not Twilight nor Starlight—nopony would understand. Who else dreamt of their sister dying every time they slept? Who else felt the way she did? Nopony. She pulled the blankets closer to herself and rested her chin on the railing with a groan. "What am I to do?"

Luna then noticed the sun hanging low in the sky. "Great," she said coldly, "supper already." Her stomach perked up, and she inwardly cursed it. She turned and went inside, not bothering to close the doors. She tossed the blankets on her bed in a heap. She approached her dresser, but upon looking at the mirror, she remembered she still had her crown and necklace on. She straightened them out, still angry with herself. She was about to go downstairs but stopped short, noticing something amiss in the reflection.

She was, for a moment, stunned by her visage. Her mane was a more muted blue than she remembered. It was limp, as if the invisible breeze keeping it aloft had died off. There were fewer twinkles, and the sheen usually present was gone. She looked back at her tail to find it in the same state. She looked more closely into the mirror, now at her eyes. Tiny red lines surrounded her irises, and her pupils jittered slightly even when she was focusing.

Her stomach murmured again, and she had to give a few moments' thought before she remembered her last meal. "Perhaps I _should_ eat," she said simply. "It might help all of," she looked at her face again, " _that_." She looked down. She slowly limped out of her room.

* * *

"All costal cities, Princess Twilight?"

"Yes, get as many citizens out of the east as you can."

The guard nodded and left the map room. Twilight sighed, shuffling papers around, stacking them into piles for Luna to deal with. "That should be everything Celestia told us to do," she said to herself. Her stomach growled. Looking at the clock, she smiled and went out to the hallway.

She was greeted by dozens of doors. Trotting past them, she went over in her head the rooms which hid behind them—a hallway, a closet, the library, a bathroom, another hallway—until finally she had reached the dining room. She nudged open the door. Noticing Luna's absence, she huffed. Starlight had seemed to figure out most of the castle and was sitting at the already set table. Spike was fiddling with his napkin, impatiently awaiting the other two. Twilight trotted over to them but stopped short, surprised to see hayburgers on the table.

"What..." she said, levitating a burger. "What's this?"

"Dinner," said Spike simply.

"No, I mean why hayburgers?"

"Well," Spike said, "you know how you sent me into town to get some food?"

"I left you a list at the door, yes."

"See, I kinda forgot that, so I got the next best thing!"

Starlight stifled some laugher. Still levitating the burger, Twilight looked at it and then back at Spike, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Ah," Spike snapped his claws. "Should've sprung for the salad, huh?"

"No, no, it's fine, it's fine. I like them anyway." She sighed. "Where's Luna? I'm starved."

"I dunno," Starlight said. "I haven't heard from her at all today."

"Maybe she's still sleeping?" Spike asked.

"I suppose," Twilight responded. "It's still a bit early for her. I'll go check—"

"No no," a voice from the hallway called. "That is not necessary." Luna stumbled into the dining room. "I am here."

"How'd you sleep?" Spike asked. Luna took her seat at the table, blinking away her grogginess. Twilight sat down across from her. Luna didn't seem to notice the dinner in front of her. "Uh," Spike said, "Princess Luna?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry." She yawned. "Uh, I slept quite alright." Twilight eyed her, but quickly glanced down when Luna looked at her. Luna looked at the hayburger, trying to silence her stomach.

"It's a hayburger," Spike said. "What, you've never had one before?" She said nothing but continued to stare at the plate.

"Twilight," Starlight said, "I thought the others were coming."

"What? Oh." Twilight sighed. "They're all volunteering to help clean up Canterlot. Well, I know Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy are. Not sure about Pinkie." She scowled slightly. "She hasn't talked to me since the attack. I _think_ she went with the others, but—"

"Yeah," Spike said, "she did. She told me she was going."

"Oh," said Twilight. "How _nice_ of her." Before she could start to eat, there was a knock at the door, and a guard poked his head in. Twilight groaned in exasperation. "What?"

"There is somepony here for Starlight," he said. Starlight's ears perked up, and she looked at the guard, puzzled.

Twilight shrugged. "Let them in." She muttered something under her breath. The guard opened the door, and behind him was Sunburst, looking more frazzled than usual. Twilight nodded at the guard, and he left.

Starlight gasped. "Sunburst?"

"H-hey," Sunburst said, stepping inside the room. "It's me."

Starlight stood and stared. She slowly walked over to him, then ran and hugged him. "Sunburst, you're okay! I-I thought you were at the Crystal Empire! I thought you had died!"

He hugged back, blushing. "N-nope. I was visiting my folks back at our old town. Almost boarded the train back when I heard what happened." They parted, Starlight's eyes now glistening. He cleared his throat. "Sorry for not telling you sooner."

"It's okay," she said. "Um..." She glanced at Twilight. "I can eat later. Do you mind if we...?"

"No, no," Twilight said with a wave of a hoof. "Go on. Catch up." The two ponies smiled at each other and left, with Starlight beginning to give Sunburst a grand tour of the castle to the best of her memory.

Twilight rolled her eyes and muttered something. "So. Luna," she said, starting to eat, "l wanted to ask you something this morning, but I missed you."

Luna closed her eyes and pushed her dish away slightly. "Yes?"

"Well," she tapped her hooves together, "what're we going to do about the griffons living in Equestria?"

Luna raised an eyebrow. "What about them?"

Twilight sighed. "I don't know how to put this, um..." She scratched her head. "I had this idea where we would..." she struggled for the right word, "relocate... the griffons away from the east coast and major cities."

Luna stared at her. Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Luna slowly shook her head. "You _cannot_ be serious."

"Why not? I mean, it's not like we're imprisoning them or anything."

"Then where do you plan to keep them?" Luna asked.

Twilight spoke carefully. "I was thinking about south of Los Pegasus."

Luna furrowed her eyebrows. "You mean San Palomino?"

"Yes, b-but it's far away from the east coast and—"

"'Tis a desert, Twilight!"

"Then we'll build them shelters!" Twilight insisted. "What else are we going to do?"

"I will tell you what we shall do. _Nothing_."

Twilight balked. "Nothing?!"

"We are already doing what is needed. There is no reason to incarcerate thousands of citizens in a desert."

"It would only be a means to an end. I don't like it any more than you."

"To what end, then? Why do this?"

"To keep citizens safe!"

"From whom? Who is being protected here? Ponies?"

"Well, ponies _and_ griffons. There could be crimes committed against or by griffons all over the country. Protests and riots from Vanhoover to Baltimare could pop up to get griffons out."

"And have their been such actions taken by our non-griffon citizens?"

"Well, not yet. But..." Twilight tapped her chin. "B-but what if there are griffon conspirators?"

"There could just as easily be pony conspirators. Why incarcerate one species?"

"It's the only lead we have! Why risk it?"

"We already have measures concerning griffons and security; we need not treat them as traitors first and citizens second." She leaned on the table with her good hoof. "How would we incarcerate thousands to San Palomino in the first place?"

"I don't know! And stop calling it incarceration! We aren't jailing them! It's an internment!"

"Whatever you may call it, it the same crime nonetheless. Why are you so adamant about this?"

Twilight groaned. "We are already evacuating three entire cities on the east coast. Why would this be any different?"

"They are being _evacuated_ for their own safety from the aggressors, yes? Not _detained,_ as if they were savages."

"We can't simply sacrifice national defense for—"

"For what? Correctness? Correctness is not the issue here, Twilight. It is morality and common decency. We do not need an entire species to be hated in our country because of what others in their species have done." She paused, looking between Spike and Twilight. "At this moment, there are squadrons in the Equestrian Air Force made up of volunteer griffons and hundreds more making sure the Air Force is fed and equipped. They are fighting alongside us because they _are_ us. We are all Equestrian. This is not a war between species, between ponies and griffons; this is a war between nations. Differences between species has no part in it, and I do not want you to make it so. We are not going to incarcerate _citizens."_ She sighed. "I am done discussing this with you."

Twilight scowled. "Celestia would've agreed with me," she mumbled.

Suddenly, Luna slammed her good hoof against the table, rattling everything on it. Twilight flinched, fearfully looking across the table. Spike looked at her, stunned. Luna was shaking in pure rage. Twilight cleared her throat meekly, but before she could say anything, Luna lit into her.

 _"Do not speak against the Sun!"_ Luna spoke, using her royal voice. Spike cowered under the table, trying to avoid the princess' wrath. Twilight could have sworn she saw slits in Luna's eyes. The princess of the night continued. "How _dare_ you? How can you say she would agree to such an atrocity?" Luna put her hoof on the table and raised herself up. She spread her wings outward, her eyes boring into Twilight's. "How can you use her name to reason such a heinous act while she is no longer present to speak as such? She would never use such terrible ways to meet Equestria's needs. She would never dream it, less allow it."

Tears pooled up beneath her eyes, betraying the anger in them. "I believed you knew her well, nearly as well as me. I believed you would preserve her name, would never allow it to be tainted by such vain speech. But I appear to have been mistaken. You were quick to use her name to justify yourself. You have disgraced it, trod upon it, with nary a thought as to the pony who once bore it." Twilight was quivering in her seat, seemingly pressed against it by the mere sight of Luna.

Luna stopped and caught her breath some. She dropped her voice down below her royal voice, down to barely above a whisper. "You are _nothing_ like her. I give you but one warning, Twilight Sparkle. Do not tarnish her name. I shall not have it. You have my word."

With that, Luna swiftly left the table, slamming the door as she left the room. Spike cautiously got up, peeking over the edge to see if it was clear. Twilight stared after Luna, lost for words. She was sweating, still shaking slightly. Luna's plate still had an uneaten hayburger. Levitating the plate, Twilight hesitantly got up. "I'll... I'll go talk to her."

"Are you sure?" Spike said. Twilight didn't say anything. She gave Spike a weak smile and walked out of the room.

* * *

"Luna?" Twilight knocked on the door. "Are you doing alright?" After not hearing anything, she knocked again. "Luna, are you in there?"

"I would like some time alone," Luna replied.

"Come on, Luna. I just want to talk."

Luna said nothing. Twilight waited for a few moments before she opened the door. Luna was on her balcony, looking skyward. Hearing the door open, she quickly turned around. She scowled somewhat.

Twilight spoke quietly. "You didn't eat," Twilight set the plate on Luna's dresser. She pawed the ground. "I-I'm sorry... about all... that."

Luna sighed and walked inside. "You are forgiven. I, too, apologize. I did not mean to lose my temper with you. When I heard my sister's name, I just..." She hung her head.

Twilight walked towards Luna. "Are you alright, Luna?" Luna looked up, and Twilight saw that as a cue to go on. "You haven't been talking to me much, and that back there was the first time you've actually spoken to me in the past three days." Twilight stopped, expecting a reply. When Luna said nothing, she continued. "Why don't you talk to me anymore?" Luna winced. "What's going on, Luna? Do you not care, or—"

Luna looked at Twilight, hurt. "You think I care not?"

"Well, sometimes, yeah." Luna looked back down. Twilight continued. "Spike and Starlight are always with me, but you're always gone, and I know you aren't sleeping or dreamwalking."

Luna squinted at Twilight. "I am the one heading our forces, Twilight, as well as controlling all foreign affairs, as you with domestic. I dreamwalk with our generals, lest such dire information be lost with a stray letter or messenger. I have not the time to sleep, let alone visit everypony with a nightmare."

"Oh, don't give me that," said Twilight, some of her ire returning. "The air forces are just sitting at the coast—"

"Preparing!" Luna sighed and shook her head. "Twilight," she said wearily, "we have already argued once today. I would rather not have another."

"Alright then," Twilight said. "Tell me something. What were you planning on doing just now?"

"Hm?"

"Right now. What were you going to do?" Luna opened her mouth, but Twilight kept talking. "I mean, it's gotta be important for you to skip dinner, right? But I'm not sure, because to me, it looked like you were just sitting out there feeling sorry for yourself."

"I just needed some time to—"

"To what, sulk some more?" Luna again began to speak, but Twilight kept going, her voice gradually rising. "No, _you_ listen! You can't just _mope!_ We have jobs to do! You don't think I want to sit and cry? Well I do! My brother is dead, and Celestia is d-dead, and Cadence and Flurry might as well be dead, a-and I don't know where Rainbow is, and we're at war and everypony's dying a-a-and the _least_ you could do is support me, damn it! We're at war, Luna! War! _War!_ We're _all_ scared!" She took a quivering step towards her, quieting her voice. _"I'm_ scared. I can't do this alone. I need support too."

Luna looked down. "I am sorry, Twilight. I truly am. I want to help, but I..." She looked back up to see Twilight almost seething. "But to ask of me would be asking for support from a crumbling pillar."

"Yeah, well, that's better than falling to the ground alone!"

"Even if it were to fall upon you as it fell?"

"At least the pillar would have been there to help!"

"And you have not asked why the pillar crumbled."

Twilight looked at Luna, exasperated. "It's a _pillar!"_

Luna grew quieter. "Perhaps the load upon it is too great already."

She stomped. "Enough of the damn pillar! You can't just lock yourself in here and cry. What good is that going to do you, or us, or anypony?"

"You care not why I cannot support you?"

Twilight groaned. "Fine! Go ahead! Tell me _all_ about it!"

"You already know why."

"What, Celestia? Oh, right, right," Twilight mocked. "You feel 'responsible' for it all?"

Luna stopped for a moment. "You... you trivialize—"

"Because it _is_ trivial!" Luna's ears drooped, and Twilight scoffed. "What is _with_ you? You always act like you're the worst pony alive. Did you start the fires? Did you kill thousands of ponies? Did you steal the Heart? Did you start a war? Did you kill Celestia? No! So stop acting like you did!" Luna stared at Twilight and then at the floor. She didn't speak. Twilight, fuming, turned to the door. She put her hoof on the doorknob when she heard a whimper from Luna.

"I believe I killed her," Luna said quietly. "Or, at the very least, I feel I had a hoof in her death. I had a nightmare, or a vision, that day. It was a warning I tried to heed, but ultimately I did not. I was idle, hoping foolishly it would not come to pass. When it did..." She took a shaky breath. "When my vision came to pass, I did nothing. _Nothing_. I ran. I left her. How am I not responsible for her death? How can I not feel this gall of bitterness?"

Luna sighed. "Let me ask you something, Twilight Sparkle. Do you believe I _want_ to be here? There is not an hour that passes where I do not wish I could have died that night. I have cowardice to thank for my survival, and I curse myself for it. I do not care whether I could have died either in place of her or with her. I wish I died instead of lived. I do not want to cry or care any more. But I am alive." Her breath grew shaky. "I am alive, and I have to deal with this guilt, these hardships, alone. And, for the time being, you do too."

She looked down, her ears flat to her head. "I am sorry I cannot help you—truly, I am—but I know if we each do our duties to their fullest, we will be okay. I want to help you, I really do, but..." She looked at Twilight. "One cannot save somepony who drowns while they themselves drown."

Twilight sighed, frowning. "Are you done?"

Luna stared at her, shocked. She closed her eyes, a tear running down her trembling cheek. In silence, she ran to the balcony and flew off into the evening air.

"You forgot to raise the moon," said Twilight, annoyed. She glanced outside. The moon slowly rose, a soft blue halo surrounding it. Twilight ran to the balcony, looking for Luna. Not seeing her, she ran out of the room towards the other side of the castle, forgetting the plate of food.

She opened another balcony which had an open view of the evening sun. She lit her horn and attempted to lower it, but she barely moved it a few degrees downward before giving up. Rubbing her head, she murmured to herself about her magic. But suddenly the sun began to move, a faint blue ring surrounding it, coaxing it below the horizon. Soon darkness fell across Ponyville, and Twilight grumbled, trotting back inside.


	10. Clouds

**10**

 **Clouds**

Immediately after the attacks, the Equestrian Air Force, with plenty of assistance from Cloudsdale, Stratusburg, and other pegasus cities, worked to complete their preparations for retaliation. The pegasi fervently shaped three cloud megastructures—superclouds, as many began calling them. They made one in each city to house themselves on their journey across the Celestial Sea.

For the better part of two and a half weeks, the pegasi toiled: harvesting water from the nearby ocean; using the weather factory to create clouds of all shapes and densities; shipping the clouds to the three cities in giant lumps; forming, molding, and shaping the clouds to make walls, floors, and rooms.

The superclouds were, in one word, colossal. Just short of the size of Cloudsdale, they cast shadows which covered swathes of the city in darkness. While the citizens were still there, they gaped up at the beginning framework from windows and streets. Many pegasi were excited in spite of the imminent war. The structures they were creating were stuff of legend from the times of the three tribes.

At first, the superclouds were referred to by their city, but they soon earned more personal names. Fillydelphia's supercloud was named after the admiral who commanded its forces, Typhoon. Baltimare' supercloud was dubbed Cyclone in the same fashion. Manehattan's supercloud was affectionately named Thunderhead, as it was the main force of the Equestrian Air Force. Its mission was to liberate the Griffish Isles and flank Griffonstone from the north, while Typhoon and Cyclone were to butt up against the Griffon Kingdom's western coastline and keep the bulk of the griffons occupied, and, if possible, to invade Griffonstone and end the war in a matter of weeks.

Though given an express order by Princess Twilight to evacuate and well-compensated by the charity of the nation, there remained about a tenth of the population in each city, for one reason or another. Most of the pegasi, who were the vast majority of those who stayed, helped with the construction of the superclouds, and those who were able to fight joined the Equestrian Air Force. The few unicorns and earth ponies who stayed behind were either owners of the various big businesses with which they couldn't bear to part or had complete faith the griffons wouldn't dare attack such fortified bastions.

The arrival of the tens of thousands of pegasi transformed the cities into beehives overnight. Pegasi zipped and soared to and fro, almost always with tools or a cloud. They worked endlessly, moving this cloud here and shaping that, forming a window here and there a door, rows of thick pillars lining the outsides, and one giant landing platform underneath it all that was reminiscent of a hat's brim. Buildings, now practically extensions of the ground, were used extensively. The top floors were frequented by pegasi who had removed high windows to feel as though they never truly left the sky.

The only time a pegasus wasn't working on the titanic construction project was when they were in training just outside the cities. The Wonderbolts had been dispersed among the three cities teaching the numerous volunteers. Fighting a larger and naturally more lethal enemy, the volunteers learned how to maneuver themselves to attack the neck and wings of an opponent, letting gravity ultimately do the work. Many lessons were simply in how to avoid the griffons' swipes and stabs. The Wonderbolts would stage mock air battles a few yards above the ground or clouds and have the pegasi spar against one other. The volunteers then rotated with other volunteers between construction and training, and thus the cycle continued until the superclouds were completed. Then it was only training, all day, every day, for the remainder of the week. The Wonderbolts were then rounded up and sent to Manehattan, as they were assigned to Thunderhead.

After the training and construction, all of the pegasi were issued padded uniforms. The main parts of the uniforms were made of warm sky-blue fabric, and they covered everything from the neck to the hoof, leaving the wings and tail free. Cloud-white armor pads complimented the uniforms, protecting the shins and undersides. A sky-blue helmet and muzzle guard, along with a white-tinted visor, completed the ensemble. Each squadron had its unique patch sewn onto the uniform's flanks, acting like cutie marks. The Wonderbolts, being a branch of the elite EUP Guard, received similar armor but with cosmetic differences. The Wonderbolt colors of blue and gold replaced the standard azure and white, and a large yellow lightning bolt adorned either side of the helmets.

But, after those three weeks, nothing eventful happened. The pegasi mostly sat around buildings or their superclouds, waiting for the order from Princess Luna to move out. Since they expected word at any time, serious training never really resumed. The first day of waiting was tense as every pegasi kept their eyes skyward, but the following days somewhat lulled and even bored them.

For Rainbow, everything hadn't much more than a nice diversion. The superclouds were awesome. The training, although grueling at times, was fun. The armor was the coolest thing she had ever seen, and she wore it proudly from the first day. Yet, even with all of the excitement happening, Rainbow found it hard to concentrate or enjoy herself much.

The memories of that night were still fresh. Whenever Celestia and Luna were mentioned, images of their bloodied bodies flashed in her mind. She had nightmares about fire and smoke which left her gasping for air. Those feelings of despair and loss still fermented in her chest. For her, that night lived on perpetually. She could sometimes forget for a little while, but the memories and feelings would always return. There was nowhere else for them to go.

The argument, too, echoed in her mind. Turning it over and over in her head, she knew she was in the right. If she and the other pegasi hadn't gone, she reasoned, the death toll would have been much higher, the griffons would have stayed much longer, and, she would think with a shudder, Princess Luna might not be alive. Still, the argument left a heavy feeling in her chest, no matter how much she justified herself. She winced at the memory of calling her friends cowards. She wanted to go back badly that night, to make amends, but a fear formed before she could return: what if they wanted nothing to do with her anymore?

With the air forces having an abundance of free time on their hooves, these thoughts and memories occupied Rainbow's mind constantly. She spent some of her time wandering around Manehattan, trying to clear her head. She got to see all of the iconic sights with ease—Times Square, Bridleway, the Statue of Liberty—and, while enjoyable, the eeriness of sparsely populated streets didn't quite help dispel her worries. Most of the time, she would hang out with Soarin', just listening to him talk about this or that.

One part of her wanted to share her troubles with him to relieve herself, at least a little, of her guilt and regret, but the other part had already stuffed all of the emotions in a closet in some far corner of her mind, shutting the doors enough to be concealed but leaving them just barely open so she wouldn't forget. Listening to Soarin' helped her put the anxieties out of mind, if only for a few hours or so.

Presently, the Wonderbolts rested atop the head and torch of the Statue of Liberty. It had been another uneventful day. Most of the Wonderbolts were sitting or lying down, lazily chatting with one another. A spare few were on edge, anxiously awaiting any word from Princess Luna, Spitfire among them. She hovered around and talked quickly with those who would listen.

Rainbow, who still wrestled with her thoughts, simply laid down, looking eastward at the dimming sky, watching as the scattered clouds slowly faded from cream to pink to orange. She wanted to sleep—she felt she could—but her mind would not silence itself. Trying to distract herself, she traced the distant horizon. Griffons were sitting just beyond there, waiting for them. She tried to guess how many griffons there could be when a certain griffon popped into her head again: Gilda.

She groaned, her mind again burdened with worry. She had remembered Gilda when she first arrived in Manehattan but since tried to clear her mind of her faraway friend. The same questions she had then peppered her now. Where was Gilda? Is she okay? Why hasn't she tried to contact her? She wasn't with those who attacked Canterlot, was she? Is she dead? Hopefully she was okay, safe somewhere, wherever that was. She closed her eyes, her heart cursing her mind for causing it distress.

"Damn it!" Spitfire stopped pacing the sky. Rainbow and the rest of the Wonderbolts started and looked at her, their conversations cut. Spitfire hovered down and sat, looking somewhat defeated. "I dunno what the hell is going on anymore, 'Bolts! I hate just sitting here! We've been ready to move for a solid week now!"

She huffed in frustration and gestured south. "I've heard it's because Typhoon and Cyclone aren't ready yet, but they've got nothing to do with us! They're not going to the same part of the Kingdom as us, nor are they in the same operation! We're the best fliers—and fighters—in Equestria, and we haven't seen a single damn griffon since Canterlot! What the hell is Princess Luna thinking?!" She shook her head, tapping her hoof angrily. "Another thing..." She stood and paced around the statue's head. The pegasi formed a semicircle with their captain as the center, talking quietly amongst themselves.

She stopped and faced them, and they hushed. "Notice something off about our numbers?" Some looked around themselves, counting under their breath. Others simply shrugged. Spitfire groaned. "We're missing all our cadets!" She started pacing again. "They were here for the first day, then they were shipped off to Filly and Batimare." She stomped on the ground. "That's _our_ team! They're _our_ birds! We should be _fifty_ pegasi strong, not _twenty!"_

She stood and scoffed to herself. "I'be been told it was to spread out the talent across the superclouds, but why the hell would they do that instead of focusing all the best flyers here? We're the brunt of the invasion force, the knife's edge, the spear's tip! We're the ones taking on the Isles and the whole northern half of the damn Kingdom! Cyclone and Typhoon are just a diversionary force!" She looked at their faces as though expecting cheers of assent, but the pegasi either simply nodded or returned blank stares.

She sighed and sat back down. "Sorry 'Bolts." She breathed in and slowly exhaled. "Just needed to get that off my chest. It's just..." She hit the ground with her hoof. "Why don't we move out now? We could catch them off-guard. Hell, if three weeks were enough for us, they're probably just waiting to ambush us over open waters. I mean, are we just waiting for them to attack us or something?"

"I guess that'd work," Soarin' said from the front. "It'd explain why the whole coastline's evacuated."

"But not why we have Thunderhead," Spitfire said, pointing to the supercloud. "Or Cyclone or Typhoon." She shook her head. "What are we still doing here?" She looked at the Wonderbolts and waved a hoof. "As you were."

The Wonderbolts hesitantly resumed their conversations, though more hushed. Spitfire, with a final resigned sigh, returned to her route in the sky. Rainbow had not moved. She had barely listened to the tirade or any of the idle chat. Her pensive mind still traced the trodden routes of Gilda and that fateful night. She didn't know why she kept thinking about any of it—it wasn't like anything could change—but all of her worries and anxiety melded together into a murky fog that prevented her from thinking of much else.

She felt a soft nudge on her shoulder and glanced up. Soarin' was crouched next to her with a half-smile. "You doing alright?" Rainbow shrugged and looked east again. Soarin' sat down, clearing his throat. "I mean really. Are you alright?" Rainbow looked at him questioningly, and he sighed. "I'm asking because whenever we talk, well..." He scratched his head. "Usually I'm the one talking, and you just kinda listen." He looked at Rainbow. "And I know that's not, well, _you_. I'm just wondering if you're doing okay."

She turned away from him, laying her head on her hooves. "I'm fine."

Soarin' hesitantly laid down. "I'm worried about you, Dash," he said quietly. Her ears lowered slightly. He opened his mouth to speak but shook his head softly. He looked at the horizon. "Well," he rested his head down and closed his eyes. "If you need somepony to talk to..."

Rainbow debated with herself. The closet of memories slowly began to open, and she didn't know whether to shut it up or share it all. They were her problems to deal with, not his, not anypony's. But what good would keeping these emotions inside do? She glanced at Soarin', whose eyelids flickered closed occasionally. She sighed, and Soarin' looked at her. She nudged the door in her mind open.

"I don't know what I'm doing here, Soarin'." She paused, half expecting him to say something, but at his silence, she continued. "I mean, I know there's a war to win and ponies to avenge and..." She sighed again, putting her head back down. The image of her old Element of Loyalty taunted her mind. "I feel like I'm... like I'm just running away."

Soarin' put his wing around her. "Running away?"

In a rush of emotions, the door slammed open. Rainbow told him everything—the argument, the smoke, the heat, Twilight, Luna, Gilda—and Soarin' listened intently. Whenever her voice began to break, she would pause and breath as not to cry in front of him, and Soarin' would give a reassuring hug. When Rainbow finally finished a while later, her chest felt lighter, and her mind finally acknowledged how tired her body was. Soarin' hadn't said anything the entire time, his wing still around her. Rainbow smiled and put a wing over him. "Thanks for listening," she said quietly.

Soarin' nodded and smiled back. He opened his mouth to speak, but the Wonderbolts behind them began to hush. Rainbow, blushing, glanced behind her, but they weren't staring at her and Soarin' but at something beyond them. Soarin' and Rainbow looked ahead at the horizon and squinted.

"Do you see anything?" Soarin' whispered. Rainbow shook her head.

Spitfire walked past them to the statue's edge, squinting. "Hmm. Did something just flash?" The other Wonderbolts muttered softly to each other. A tiny speck appeared on the faint horizon. "Does anypony else see that?" Spitfire asked again.

Soarin' and Rainbow slowly stood up. There were murmurs of assent, and they all continued to stare. Other groups of pegasi across Manehattan had noticed the flash and the speck, and soon an unsettling hush came over the city.

Rainbow's eyes widened. "Is... is it getting bigger?"

Spitfire jumped up. "It's headed right for the city!" The speck soon began to move off to one side and all at once was a blur. The tallest building in Manehattan shuddered, and a gigantic puff of orange and black rose. Rainbow felt an odd sensation in her lungs as she was pushed away from the city, causing her and a few others to stumble. Immediately after came the horrible thud and crack of the explosion. Pegasi scattered from the building, their screams and yells lost in the tumult. The Wonderbolts quickly regained themselves and started panicking, talking loudly over one another.

"What the hell was that?!"

"What just happened?!"

"A meteor?!"

"Not at that angle!"

"Is everypony alright over there?!"

"It was so _fast!"_

"Look!" Rainbow shouted over the din. The tallest building was leaning, slowly at first but gaining momentum. The Wonderbolts again hushed, staring in stunned horror as the brass head on top picked up speed and descended below the skyline. The creaking and groaning of the building reached Rainbow in a muffled silence. It collapsed in mere seconds but seemed to stretch on for minutes. A voluminous cloud of debris slowly rose up from the ground, taking the building's place. More pegasi flew about like bees around a hive disturbed.

For a while, no one spoke. The grey cloud spread and thinned out, covering the city in shadow. Rainbow glanced at Thunderhead and was relived to find it untouched. It hung directly over Manehattan but seemed to be out of harm's way for now. Other pegasi gathered underneath it, and it appeared to her as though they were trying to heave it skyward.

Another flash caught Rainbow's eye, and her insides grew cold. She and others turned to see another speck. No one said anything. The speck turned into a blur and struck the city again. Another fireball, another shockwave, another explosion, another cloud.

Another flash.

Spitfire finally came to her senses and whirled to face her squadron. "Everypony!" She hovered and pointed. "Thunderhead! Now!" The Wonderbolts, surprised to hear a voice so close to them, scrambled to get their helmets on. Spitfire climbed upwards, the others following suit.

Another explosion sounded off below them. Spitfire leveled out and flew towards Thunderhead. More and more pegasi coaxed the supercloud up, and it was picking up speed. It had already ascended a hundred or so feet. As they drew nearer, Rainbow could feel something hurtle past underneath her, and it made her feel woozy.

The explosions and destruction soon became so loud and so common that no one bothered to yell over them. The Wonderbolts joined seemingly every other pegasi in Manehattan beneath Thunderhead. They each found a spot and began pushing upwards. After only a minute, Rainbow was surprised to find her almost playing catch-up with it. The whole thing had to have weighed several thousand tons, yet it was still a cloud and heeded the pegasi's will.

Rainbow glanced down and nearly faltered when she couldn't see Manehattan through the shroud of debris. The blurs plunged into the city, emitting bright flashes of orange which lit the grey cloud. Rainbow could still feel the shockwaves and hear explosions as strong as before. They had to have been hundreds of feet in the air by now.

A shrill whistle pierced the noise. Rainbow jerked and whirled around, seeing Spitfire a ways off, motioning to one side of the cloud. She turned and arced upwards, and a slew of Wonderbolts followed. Rainbow found herself flying up to keep parallel to Thunderhead's underside. She pulled up at its end, shielding her eyes from the sun, and turned to face the side of the supercloud.

She sped to a nearby pillar Soarin' was at and braced against it. Almost immediately, the cloud gave with the collective force, and it began to move slowly away from the shore. More pegasi joined the Wonderbolts, eventually allowing the cloud to cease its ascent and gain forward speed. Sounds of the city's destruction were now small pops, and shockwaves were no longer present.

"Alright, everypony!" Spitfire yelled out. "That's enough!" One by one, the pegasi stopped and landed on the cloud. Rainbow and Soarin' both dropped out of the sky and landed on their backs next to each other, panting heavily.

Soarin' nudged Rainbow, chuckling softly. "Ha... heh... we... we made it... heh..." He sat up, offering a hoof. "Doin' alright?"

She couldn't help but laugh a little too. "Yeah." She took his hoof and sat up. "I'm still... still wondering about... what the hell those were..."

"Everypony to your squadrons!" Spitfire's voice rang out at the cloud's edge. "Gather 'round here! We'll need a headcount!"

Rainbow looked at Soarin', whose grin quickly became a grim line. Her half-hearted smile too faded, and the two trotted towards Spitfire. Small groups began to form in parallel lines in front of her, and they began calling out names, sending pegasi to round up amblers. The Wonderbolts were reunited, none lost, and they sat directly in front of Spitfire. Nopony talked. Rainbow and Soarin' caught one last glimpse of the smoldering city as it slipped beneath clouds.

An officer flew overhead and whispered something to Spitfire, and she nodded. "We need to tell the Princesses about this." Rainbow perked up. Spitfire turned to the officer. "Pen a letter. Tell them what happened. Get it to them before morning." The officer saluted and flew away. Rainbow, with an idea forming, walked closer. Spitfire muttered to herself. "What _were_ those things...?"

"Ma'am," Rainbow said. Spitfire turned around and looked somewhat irritably at Rainbow. "I, uh, I-I volunteer to get the letter to the Princesses, ma'am."

Spitfire squinted. "What?"

"W-well, I mean I'm the fastest flier here, ma'am. I could get it to them and be back in an hour, tops."

"That may be," she said quietly, "but you're not a messenger pony, you're a soldier." She sighed and pointed to the rest of the Wonderbolts. "Get in line, Dash."


	11. Bitter

**11**

 **Bitter**

The snow did not let up for Gilda and the griffons. When they had finally retreated into their rooms, Greta stayed up and watched as white drifts appeared at the bunker's open door well into the night. The next morning, there was a foot or so of fresh powder outside and half as much immediately inside. The refugees became concerned, some angry, most others scared. Greta tried her best to calm them down, but few were comforted. She assured them the weather would warm up again and also reminded them of the fresh and plentiful supplies they had received from Griffonstone.

The next day, the clouds parted, and the sun shone brightly. All of the snow began to melt, both outside and in, and the large room with the main door quickly had frigid water flooding the floor. Despite this, the griffons regained their optimism. After a few days, tufts of grass were showing again. Greta asked for more scavenging volunteers, and they had a bit of luck. Though the rabbits and other small game had mostly hidden themselves away, there was plenty of fish in the cold brooks. After searching a fair distance away, one group came back with plentiful dry wood.

However, the weather once again turned dismal. The clouds rolled in before noon the following day, and by nightfall a new sheet of snow coated the wide valley. This time, it stayed, and every few days, the griffons would awake to find the snow higher than the previous night. The food had to be rationed early on. Fires were limited, so comfort in them and in warm food was sparse. The rooms inside were soon cold at night, even with the extra blankets brought from Griffonstone. Scavenging groups were still being sent out, but they came back with less and less each time. Resentment slowly shifted from the pegasi and their poor weather upkeep to Greta. Only Gabby somehow managed to stay optimistic.

A little over a month after they had first arrived at the bunker, the snow finally seemed to stop. The oppressive clouds above one day vanished, and the sun once more shone. Much to the griffons' dismay, the cold air didn't leave with the clouds, and they were left with two choices, one hardly better than the other: stay inside the bunker, where it was dark and cold but snow-free; or venture outside, where it was bright but wet and even more frigid.

Gilda awoke, finding herself wrapped up in two blankets. It was rather warm, and she thanked her sleeping self for being ever so polite. Her head was cold, so she tried to burrow in as much as she could. She managed to get all but her beak in, and she reveled in the warmth. With the room always dark, she thought she could perhaps just stay in her pocket of heat the rest of the day. There certainly wasn't anything else to do. She sighed, the good feeling gone. What was the point of waking up and doing anything anymore? She wished she could stay in bed until the snow all melted and the war was over, but her stomach had different plans.

She fought against the pangs for a good half hour, debating with herself why she didn't need food that very instant. But, after one particularly loud and painful grumble, she relented. With a groan, she poked her head out and instantly regretted it, cursing her stomach. She popped one claw out, then another, already starting to shiver. She wormed her way out, trying to keep a mental note of how she should arrange the blankets when she got back. She squinted in the dark at Greta's bed, expecting to find her asleep. Seeing it empty, Gilda shrugged and put on a scarf and cap.

She walked out to the hallway and briefly peered outside. The snow was still laying claim to the bunker floor near the door, and the snow outside was blindingly white. She shivered, missing her warm pocket of blankets. After going to the empty cafeteria and getting a small piece of jerky to sate her hunger somewhat, the taste of which she had come to resent, she wandered around the bunker. Wondering if she should just go back to bed, she looked more closely outside. She saw in the distance a nice fire surrounded by a few griffons. Gilda thought fate had to be sadistic. Why would the warmest thing for miles be out in the freezing cold?

"I... h-hate... snow."

Gilda was welcomed to snow high enough to graze her stomach. Too tired to fly, she trudged through the drifts, her sights set on the fire. She was mildly surprised to find the ground around it relatively snow-free. There were a handful of other griffons huddled around the fire. They noticed her coming and shuffled to make a small hole for her. She stood next to it and sighed. It was so warm. She could feel pins and needles on her face and claws. She sat down and spread her wings a little, trying to soak up as much warmth as she could. She watched the pile of wood within slowly turn black and crumble. Once in a while, it'd pop, sending a little puff of embers spiraling into the air.

"Hi," a voice from behind her said. Gilda looked and saw Greta walking over to her. Gilda flinched, a scene from her nightmare flashing in her mind, but she tried passing it off as a bad shiver and faked a smile.

"H-hey, Greta." Greta sat next to her, and Gilda cleared her throat. "S-so, how're you doing?"

"I'm alright, I guess. Could do without the snow. But, hey, at least it makes the fire seem warmer, right?"

"S-sure," Gilda said. She watched as a group of griffons packed bags with supplies. She heard them talking for a while, and then they all flew off. South west, she thought. She then looked through the open bunker door and around the camp. Why did it have to snow? Everything was going great before. When the supplies came, everyone was happy for the first time since before the war had begun. They had an optimistic outlook then, and everyone was confident they would be okay away from civilization and war.

Now Gilda only saw downtrodden, crestfallen griffons. If they weren't out scavenging, they weren't doing much of anything. They barely talked with one another. At least half were sick, coughing violently, even with as many layers as they had on, even when they stayed in their rooms away from the snow. Gilda remembered there being a few more griffons at the beginning, especially of the older and younger ones. She stared back into the fire. How long would this last? How long would _they_ last? How long would _she_ last? Her thoughts began spiraling downwards, and she looked at Greta. She had to say something to her, to _talk_ to her.

"W-where are we?" Gilda said, breaking the silence. Greta looked up, a bit confused. "Why are we here?" Gilda continued. "What the hell is going on?"

Greta squinted and tilted her head slightly. "What?"

Gilda shook her head. "N-no, I'm being s-serious, Greta. W-what are we d-doing here? Why are we here? Every d-day, we wake up here in th-this d-damn bunker."

Greta put a claw on Gilda's shoulder. "Gilda—"

"Every day, we s-send griffons out to get s-some food o-or to get supplies a-and there are some who d-don't come back. The r-rest of us, w-we don't do anything. We c-can't help. I feel useless. I-I feel like I'm spinning around, like I'm sinking a-and don't know what to do."

"Gilda, calm d—"

"I k-keep thinking to myself, "Th-this can't be happening, none of this can be real," but I wake up. I'm still h-here, s-still cold, still trying t-to figure out what I'm d-doing here, still wondering if anything we do is worth d-d-dying over, every day, every d-damn day, playing hide and seek with th-those maniacs, still hoping that somehow it'll all b-be over soon, but knowing th-that it won't, that it c-can't." Gilda started to breath heavily. "I can't d-do this anymore, Greta... I can't do this... I c-can't... I can't..." Tugging at the feathers on her head, she looked down at the snow.

"Gilda, I know how you feel. We all do. We're all trying our—"

"No!" Gilda whipped around, knocking Greta's claw off her shoulder. She looked at Greta straight in the face. "Shut up! You d-don't know a thing! You d-don't care a bit!"

"Wha—? How could you say that?"

"Th-this is the first time you've t-talked to me in the p-past two weeks! You didn't say _anything_ when Gruff d-d-died!" Gilda buried her face in her claws, suppressing tears. "Gabby wouldn't u-understand what I talk about—you're the only one! B-but you're off doing who-knows-what, a-and I'm all alone!"

Greta gingerly put her claw on Gilda's shoulder again. "Gilda, I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you recently. I wish I could spend more time with you, I really do, but..." she looked across the bunker and camp, "right now, I have to look out for everyone."

"There's that too," Gilda said. "I don't think... I..." She glanced at Greta for a moment. "I have a feeling you don't know what you're doing."

"Wh..." Greta retracted her claw. "What're you saying?"

Gilda stuttered for a moment, gesturing around herself. "This. All this. The bunker the snow, the mountains... h-how is any of this good? A-and before, before we came here, I h-had this nightmare where you were j-just leading us all to nowhere, b-but you weren't talking to me, and griffons kept d-d-disappearing, but you didn't c-care. At the end it was j-just me, and you... you t-turned into a monster and killed me."

Greta looked down at her claws. "Do..." she said, "do you really think I'm not...?"

"I don't know!" Gilda threw up her claws. "You're s-sending griffons to die for, what, some r-rotten meat, o-or a stupid coat? We're getting nowhere! B-blood and tears are being shed so we can live for a _day_ at a time! I wouldn't call that good leadership."

"Gilda, I'm trying my best here. I—"

"I don't believe you. We could just f-fly to Equestria and be safe there, but you decided we should stay in this hell-hole and die to the c-c-cold."

Greta sighed sadly. "Gilda, it's too dangerous to go there, and not just because it's so far away. I think they'd kill us."

"Why? What makes you say that? We aren't soldiers. We're all the normal ones. Why would they kill us?"

"They'd be scared of us, of griffons. Why would they want more of us?"

Gilda kicked at the snow. "That doesn't mean they'd kill us!"

"But why risk it? Why go through all that trouble if we might die?"

"It's better than staying here!" Gilda sighed. "It's worth a shot. It has to be than hiding, better than barely surviving."

"I think all we _can_ do right now i-is just survive."

"But it's not t-too late to go to Equestria."

"Gilda—"

"Would you just—?!" Gilda curled a claw into a fist and hit the ground. "Listen to me! Just listen!"

"No! Just stop it!" She grabbed Gilda's shoulder and roughly spun her around. "Look! Look at everyone! We're all cold a-and sick! You really expect us to fly over an _ocean_ right now?"

Gilda hit Greta's claw away. "Only because of you! We're all dying because of you! N-none of us would be in this mess if you had just listened to me!"

Tears streamed down Greta's cheeks. "Then why don't _you_ leave?"

"I—" Gilda stopped, her voice quieting. "What?"

"You heard me!" Greta poked Gilda's chest. "If you're s-so eager to go to Equestria, why haven't you?" She shoved Gilda backwards into the snow. "Huh? Why don't you just leave?!"

Gilda got up, shivering and shaking the snow off herself. "Because I-I care about you, you idiot! I care about everyone here, n-not just me!"

Greta scoffed and turned to fly away. "Whatever. I-I'm done talking with you about this."

"Greta!" Gilda called. Greta didn't look back. She flew over to the other fire and started talking to the griffons there. Gilda, so furious she was stammering curses, picked up a pile of snow and threw it at the fire. It sizzled and sent up a fresh plume of smoke. "Idiot!"

In the distance, she heard a faint whistle. She looked behind herself to see the group of scavengers Greta had sent out a few minutes before returning. Gilda noticed they brought nothing with them and turned back to the fire, scowling. "We're all gonna die here," she muttered, "all because she wants to save face." Her heart dropped at what she herself had said, and she shook her head to calm herself. "We're gonna be okay," she whispered to herself, closing her eyes, "we're gonna be okay, we're gonna be fine..."

Another shrill whistle pierced through the morning air. Gilda looked around and saw Greta flying about ten feet in the air, trying to position herself to look at as many griffons as possible.

"Attention, everyone, attention!" she called out. "I've been informed that a huge blizzard on its way! We need to head back inside, now!"

Several griffons' voices rang out. Gilda looked up, utterly bewildered. She thought the sun was still shining, but it and the sky once more were quickly being hidden by a thick grey blanket. Gilda looked at the fire; it must have fooled her.

"We need to go now," Greta continued, "or else we'll get stuck out here! Let's go!"

Gilda yelled. "Are you kidding me?!"

"We have no choice! We can't stay!" The wind was already starting to pick up, and the fires shuddered. "Move it!" Greta flew swiftly inside, and the griffons quickly followed. Gilda groaned, tried to absorb a little more heat from the fire, and abandoned it, flying through the doorway.

It was dark again inside. Lanterns were quickly lit and hung on nails on the walls, but they didn't do much. The door was still open, and now snow started to mix with the wind. The last of the griffons made it back inside, and Greta quickly scanned over them all.

"Is everyone here?!" she yelled over the howling wind and chattering. "Start a headcount!"

"Already counted them!" Gabby reported, panting. "Everyone's... everyone's here."

"Good," Greta said. "Thanks, Gabby. I don't want anyone lost out there."

After hearing Gabby's affirmation, most everyone quickly shuffled back to their rooms, shaking excess snow off of their feathers and fur and tending to their families. The interior of the bunker was now being assaulted by near-horizontal snow. The drifts at the opening of the door had grown considerably already, and more snow added to the already covered floor.

"We have to shut the door!" Greta yelled.

"If it even moves!" said Gilda.

Greta flew back outside to the huge door. "Come on!" Gilda flew over, and they both started pushing and pulling the door loose from its rust. It lurched, and the two were joined by Gabby in closing the door. The deep snow and strong wind put up a fight. Gabby soon went in front of the door, hastily shoveling snow away with her wings. Finally, with a loud, shuddery creak, it clanged shut, and the outside was silenced.

"Is that enough?" Gabby asked.

"It's gotta be," Gilda said. "That door must weigh like—" The weather interrupted her as wind pulled the door back open slightly. "... not enough," Gilda finished. "Damn it."

"Lock it!" Greta said. "Get it shut again and lock it!" The three again pulled the door shut, and Greta and Gabby grabbed ahold of the rusty crank. With some effort, the two slowly turned it around until it didn't budge any more.

Gabby laughed between pants, shaking the snow off of herself. "That was harder to... to shut than I thought it would be." She looked between Greta and Gilda expectantly but was confused at their weary expressions. "You two alright?"

"Gabby," said Gilda coldly, "sorry, but it's not your problem."

Gabby frowned. "When it's between my friends, it _is_ my problem." Gilda groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Gilda?" said Greta, walking to her cautiously.

"What?" snapped Gilda.

Greta stopped, scratching her front leg. "I'm sorry." Gilda only squinted at her, impelling Greta to continue. She sighed. "I'm sorry about what I said a little bit ago. I-I'm what happened to Gruff. I'm sorry it seemed like I was ignoring you—"

"You were."

Greta nodded slightly, her voice getting quieter. "You're right. I was." She scratched the ground idly with a claw. "I'm sorry I for..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry I _forgot_ about you. You're my friend." She paused, but when Gilda said nothing, she continued. "I know you want us to go to Equestria—and please, _please_ believe me, I do too, I _really_ do—but we _can't,_ we just _can't_ now."

"I know."

Tears began welling up in Greta's eyes, and she shrugged, choking up slightly. "I-I don't know what else to say."

"You've said enough."

Greta nodded again, sniffing. "Okay." She looked down and sighed. "So, uh, are..." She gestured between herself and Gilda. "Are we good?"

Gilda closed her eyes and furrowed her brows. She took a deep breath and looked at Greta again. "I'll think about it."

"Gilda!" scolded Gabby. Greta's small and hopeful smile faded away with a tremble. Gabby walked up to Gilda, pointing a talon at her. "What's you're problem?"

"No!"

The three flinched, looking down one dimly-lit hallway. One of the doors was open, and they heard a woman sobbing from inside. Greta, slowly and shakily exhaling, shook her head and flew over. She hesitated at the door, braced herself, and walked in. Gilda and Gabby followed, but they stayed just shy of the door, peeking in slightly.

Before Greta could speak, she gasped softly. An elderly griffon, under only one tattered blanket, lay in the bed. He faced the griffon who was crying, her face now buried in her claws. There were two kids, whom Gilda assumed were the crying griffon's children. The younger of the two sat next to his mother, looking at the elderly griffon. The older one sat alone in the corner, looking down at the floor. Only after Gilda looked at the griffon lying in bed a second time did she realize he wasn't breathing.

Greta stood motionless, staring at the sad scene. The child at the bed noticed Greta and shook his mother's shoulder, saying something to her. She looked up, wiping away tears and sniffing. But, when she recognized Greta, her entire countenance changed in an instant into one of loathing. She abruptly stood, startling everyone, and she took a step towards Greta.

She spoke as though trying to bridle her rage. "Get the hell out of my room."

"I-I'm so sorry—" started Greta, who had a claw up and was walking backwards.

"Sorry?!" the griffon yelled. "You're _sorry?!_ That's _great!_ Tell that to my father!" She pointed at him. "Tell that to their grandpa!" She pointed to one of her kids. "He's the one who needs to hear it! It's your fault he's dead!"

"M-my—?"

"Shut up!" She shoved Greta up against a table, disturbing the lantern on top, and she pointed right in her face. "It was your damn idea to come here, your damn idea not to go to Equestria or somewhere civilized! At least there my father wouldn't have starved and froze to death! You didn't even bother to shut the damn door! What kinda sick-minded griffon doesn't shut the door to a blizzard?!"

"But we just closed it!"

 _"Now_ you close it?!" Before Greta could answer, the griffon with a cry shoved Greta outside, making her tumble and hit the hallway's wall. "Get out! Get _out!_ Never speak to me again!" She slammed the door, and Gilda could hear her sobbing harder than before.

Greta was slumped against the wall, still staring at the door with glistening eyes. She closed her eyes, curled one claw into a fist, and hit the ground next to her. She herself started to cry, though hers was mostly silent. As she went to stand up, Gabby stepped forward, offering a claw.

"Are you okay?" Gabby asked quietly. Greta brushed her claw away and walked past the two of them, murmuring to herself. Gabby looked to Gilda for a moment before going after Greta.

"Gabby," said Gilda, "wait."

Gabby stopped and glanced back at Gilda. "What?"

Gilda sighed. "Let... let _me_ talk to her. Alright?"

Gabby looked to object but then nodded, half-smiling. She went her own way, and Gilda walked over to her and Greta's room. The lantern inside was put out, but, by the light of the hallway, Gilda saw Greta lying in bed, facing away from her. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself. She wasn't sure if Greta was actually trying to sleep or not, but she took the cue Greta didn't want to talk anymore. Not knowing what else to do, Gilda shut the door softly and left to find Gabby.


	12. Meteors

**12**

 **Meteors**

Pinkie scrubbed the blackened side of a building with an ever-deteriorating brush. She dunked it in a shallow bucket of solution and resumed her task of removing soot. A dozen other ponies were alongside her, all doing the same repetitive task.

Canterlot still smelled horrible, even weeks after the attack. Whatever oil the griffons had used made the hairs of Pinkie's nose curl. It was like no other fire they had seen before, equal parts blistering and enduring. It had its own name now: Griffish fire. Pinkie had heard stories of it sticking to ponies' coats, continuing to burn long after it had done its job. She shuddered.

She glanced at the sun. It barely kissed the mountains now. She dropped her bush into the bucket, shaking out her hooves. They trembled slightly, and she shook them a bit. She reached into the bucket for her brush and found the bucket mostly dry. With a sigh, she grabbed the handle with her mouth, stood, and began ambling towards a large trough of strong-smelling soap a few yards away.

A flash of azure caught her eye, and she dropped her bucket. Ponies around her gave her odd looks. Pinkie, ignoring them, looked up with a bright smile. "Dashie?! Is that—" She stepped in a puddle. Backing up, she realized the sky reflected in the puddle was the azure she saw. Her hair deflating, she picked her bucket up in her mouth again and walked to the trough.

* * *

"Luna! Are you gonna help me in here or what?"

Twilight's voice echoed through the halls and rooms. Luna sighed, setting the sun from the balcony. "I will be there in a moment," she called back. She finished the sun and started on the moon, closing her eyes. She shook her head and tried to wake herself up. She opened her eyes to find the moon much too high up. Annoyed, she hastily moved it closer to the horizon. She yawned and turned around, going into the hallway. She walked a few paces when she remembered the doors. Grumbling, she turned around, shut the balcony doors, and continued on her way.

The darker light of night turned the bright blues and purples of the castle interior into soft and cool indigos. Luna slowed upon seeing a long stretch of rug on the floor, her ear twitching. She smiled softly. "I could just lay down right here and... Oh, what am I thinking?" she muttered, passing over the rug.

She glanced back to the rug before making a turn. "Maybe I do need to sleep soon." She chuckled mirthlessly to herself. "If I think a rug to be good to sleep on..." She started to yawn, but cut herself off. "I need to stop, lest Twilight notices I..." The yawn escaped, and she stomped on the ground. "Confound it."

She walked a few more steps before she stopped. "Wait," she muttered. "Did I...?" She squinted out of a window and saw black clouds against a bright orange band on the horizon. She groaned. "Of course I did. I _just_ did that." She shook her head again. Her brain felt heavy and thick, as if it were made of pudding. She could almost feel it slosh around in her skull. She held her head, waiting for it to settle. She closed her eyes again. "Now, what was I...?" She opened her eyes, seeing a door with bright light shining through the cracks. "Right." She walked towards the door and peeked through it.

Twilight sat at a table, scanning through three scrolls at once. In front of her were at least a hundred more. Luna sighed, put on a smile, and walked through the doors. Twilight flinched and glared at Luna. Luna waved a wing at her and sat herself down on the opposite side of the table. Twilight pushed a pile of scrolls towards Luna. She glanced over the table and found her three scrolls, opening them back up.

Luna picked one at random, broke the seal, and started reading. It piqued her interest when she saw it was from the Equestrian Air Force. Upon further reading, though, it just reported the railroad connecting Equestria to the Griffon Kingdom had been sabotaged. It didn't surprise her; the bridge was just north of the Griffish Isles, which were surely taken by now. She sighed, rolling the scroll up and tossing it to the side.

Twilight groaned, and Luna looked up. "Sure," she muttered to herself. She looked at Luna, irritated. "I've received official _condolences_ from Yakyakistan to Maretonia to the Dragon Lands, but as far as actual _help_ , no one seems to want to get involved." Luna shrugged and yawned, earning a glare from Twilight. Luna opened another scroll, only reading the first line or so before skimming the rest, and she slowly closed her eyes...

* * *

"All right, that'll do it for today. Get some rest now."

The last glimmer of sunlight finally faded from Canterlot. Pinkie wiped a bit of sweat from her forehead, slowly exhaling. She walked to the trough and set her bucket and brush down. She trotted away, scanning the crowds. She spied Applejack putting her tools away, and, putting on a smile, she hopped over to her.

"Hiya Applejack!"

Applejack jumped a bit, dropping a broom. She turned around, and upon seeing Pinkie's face, began chuckling. "Now, how's it that you're still jumpin' around? I'm beat." Pinkie shrugged.

"It really is quite remarkable," said Rarity, joining up with them. "I wish you could somehow give the rest of us some of your peppiness."

Pinkie opened her mouth to speak, but her entire body suddenly began to shake and just as suddenly stopped. She dropped to the ground, holding her ears, her eyes widening, her entire face falling. "No, no, no no no no..." she muttered. "Not again, not again..."

"What?" Rarity said. "What again?"

Applejack looked around the remains of Canterlot. "I got a pretty good idea." She crouched down to Pinkie. "A doozy?" Rarity looked between them, confused and worried. Pinkie slowly nodded. Applejack slowly took a breath. "Where at?"

"That's just it," Pinkie said, still quiet. She glanced up at them. "I don't know." She stared at the ground again, muttering. "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know..."

* * *

 _"Memento mori."_

Luna yelped, flinging the parchment across the table and falling backwards, hitting her head on the floor. Twilight peered across the table, setting down a scroll and quill. Luna didn't bother getting up. She rubbed her head and closed her eyes, trying to remember to whom the voice belonged.

"What?" Twilight asked, getting up. "What did the letter say?"

Luna blinked away stars from her eyes. "The Crystal Empire Expeditionary Force has found nothing thus far."

Twilight levitated the letter to herself and began reading. She scanned down the scroll as Luna got up. Muttering something, she set the letter down, walked to her end of the table, grabbed her ink and quill, and started writing.

"What of your other scrolls?" Luna asked. "I can handle my own—"

"It's fine, Luna," Twilight said irritably. "I'll take care of them."

"I am perfectly capable of—"

Twilight pointed the quill at Luna, flicking a bit of ink at her face. "I got it, Luna! All of it! Just go!" Luna, wiping her face with a wing, was about to fire back when the door opened and Starlight entered, looking worried.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing," Twilight said, writing her letter again.

"Is it about Rainbow?" Starlight asked. Twilight growled and wrote more forcefully, ink beginning to splotch here and there.

"No," said Luna, "the Crystal—"

Twilight broke her quill and turned to them. "Could you two _please_ get out if you're not going to do anything?"

"Twilight," Starlight said, "have you even _heard_ from Rainbow?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes and huffed. "Why do you care?"

"Why do _I_ care?" Starlight scoffed. "Why don't _you_ care? You don't seem concerned in the least." She took a step towards Twilight cautiously. "I mean, we haven't seen or heard from her since that night, and her cutie mark disappeared from the map when she—"

"Look," Twilight interrupted. "I don't know why it didn't show up when we went to Canterlot. I don't have the slightest clue as to where she is now. The army doesn't use letters for individual ponies. I think she's with the Wonderbolts, but she could've just as easily died in Canterlot." She levitated a replacement quill to her, dipped it in ink, and resumed writing. Starlight awkwardly looked to Luna, who stared at Twilight.

Starlight cleared her throat. "How... how very blunt of you, Twilight."

Twilight set down her quill. "Just looking at the facts."

"But you're not worried about Rainbow at _all?"_

"Just drop it." She blew on the ink.

"Twilight," Starlight took a few more steps toward her, "I'm just saying—"

Twilight set the letter down, not even glancing at Starlight. "Drop it."

"But she's your friend!"

"Starlight," Twilight said ominously.

"You can't just—"

Twilight slammed the table. "Damn it, Starlight, I said _drop it!_ I don't want to talk about her!"

"Twilight," Luna said threateningly. "I think that is eno—"

"Would you just shut _up?!"_ Twilight yelled, silencing her.

* * *

"Now now, Pinkie," said Applejack gently, helping her friend up. "I want ya to clear yer head. Are ya sure ya can't tell where it's gonna happen?"

Pinkie shook her head. "It's like a bunch of different things are happening all at once, and my Pinkie sense can't make sense of any of them."

"So it could be more than one thing?" Rarity asked. Pinkie nodded. "Can you at least tell how many?"

Pinkie rubbed her head. "Two? I think two." She looked between them helplessly. "But I've never had a doozy like that before. For all I know, it could be twenty."

Applejack's pupils shrunk. _"Twenty?!"_

"B-but," Pinkie said, raising a clarifying hoof, "I think it's two. That's what I'm getting."

"Woah," somepony a few yards away called out. "What's that?" Ponies, curiosity getting the better of them, slowly began walking towards the edge of Canterlot. Applejack looked to the other two, shrugged, and motioned them to follow. After going around a few blackened buildings, they saw it—a tiny speck of light zipping across the sky.

"Huh," Applejack said. "A shooting star?" Pinkie quivered a bit.

* * *

Twilight stomped on the ground. "I am sick and tired of being talked down to when I'm the only one running this damn country!"

"You?" Luna said incredulously. "Alone? Hardly. I am leading us in the war."

"And you haven't done much there, have you? Most of the air force is still sitting at the coast!"

"Uh," Starlight said, "do you two hear—"

"Cyclone and Typhoon are still preparing!" Luna shot back.

"What about the Griffish Isles?" Twilight asked. "Was Trottingham supposed to just 'sit tight'?"

"You two don't hear that?" Starlight said, louder this time.

"We had to wait until our forces were sufficient! Thunderhead is heading to Trottingham right now!"

Twilight was about to retort when her ears perked up, as did Luna's. Starlight sighed. Twilight trotted over to a nearby window and saw a crowd pointing up towards the skies in the east. She craned her neck to look but couldn't see anything. Luna and Starlight turned to the door when the ponies outside started screaming. They ran to the window Twilight was at and watched as the ponies ran away from the center of town. Silence followed for a few tense moments. Then, an ear-splitting explosion rocked Ponyville.

* * *

The ponies gathered at Canterlot's edge all gasped. The supposed shooting star had struck the town hall, engulfing it for a split second in a yellow fireball before scattering the pieces upwards and outwards. Small dots of color scattered away from it. Moments later, the ponies at Canterlot all felt as though they were softly pushed away, and many looked around themselves for the cause. They all started chattering until they heard a muted thud, silencing them again.

Rarity's eyes were wide. "That can't have been a meteor, right? It was much too fast." She glanced at Applejack and Pinkie as though looking for reassurance, but they paid her no mind. They continued staring at Ponyville, too stunned for words.

Pinkie jolted. "Where's Fluttershy?" She spun around, hopping over the sea of ponies behind her. She looked at Rarity, who shook her head. Pinkie had a look of determination on her face. "I'm going to find her." She disappeared in a pink blur through the crowd, calling Fluttershy's name. Rarity looked at Applejack, who had sat down and begun to shake.

"There's another one!" somepony shouted over the hundreds of voices. Rarity and Applejack snapped their heads eastward and saw another streak of white. Applejack hid her eyes behind her hat, muttering softly to herself.

* * *

The blast had toppled the three ponies over. Bits of shattered glass covered the floor like fresh snow. Luna couldn't hear anything over the ringing in her ears. She saw Twilight stand up, shout something, and run towards the hallway in the castle. Luna realized with a sharp pain she had fallen on her bad hoof. She got up, stumbling a bit still. She looked to Starlight, who already was looking out the now open window.

"Are you—" Luna began to say, but she couldn't even hear herself. She peered out the window and saw ponies running around like frenzied ants. She glanced back to the hallway Twilight ran into, but she was gone. The ringing in her ears slowly subsided, being replaced by screams from outside.

"What was that?!" Starlight yelled, terror in her voice. "What the hell was that?!" Luna said nothing, not sure herself. A small pillar of smoke barely made itself known against the violet sky.

"Starlight!" Sunburst said, running into the room. He ran to Starlight and hugged her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm fine."

"Did you hear what Twilight said?" Luna asked.

"I think she said something about Spike, but," she shrugged. "I couldn't hear anything for a minute."

"I'm right here!" Twilight sped to them, Spike barely holding onto her back. "Is everypony alright?" The three nodded. Twilight, looking at the window, began to fly to it before Starlight, horn lit, stopped her short by her tail.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Starlight called. "You don't know what's out there!"

"That's the point!" Twilight said, kicking at Starlight's magic. She looked at her tail, then Starlight, and her eyes widened. She landed on the floor, the glass crinkling under her. "Sorry. I... got excited."

"I'll say," Spike muttered. Twilight glared at him.

"Well," Luna said, "I suppose we ought to see what transpired. See if everypony is alright." She sighed, nodding to the smoke. "See what was destroyed."

Another explosion. They fell back onto the floor, covering their ears. The rumbling was more subdued this time, as was the sound.

* * *

 _"No!"_

Applejack stood rigid. The second streak had completely obliterated the Apple's barn. Nearby apple trees scattered like toothpicks, and dirt and rocks shot up and out like confetti. Once the smoke had cleared, all that remained of the barn was a crater.

Applejack collapsed, and Rarity tried to help her back up. Applejack continued to stare at it all, not saying anything. Her breathing became funny, and then she retched somewhat.

"That can't..." Rarity began. "That can't have just..."

"You guys!" Rarity turned and saw Pinkie practically dragging Fluttershy along by the hoof. "I found Fluttershy, you guys! She was—" Pinkie gasped, letting her friend go.

"Oh no," Fluttershy said. "Applejack..."

"Th-th-the barn..." Applejack whimpered. She shut her eyes tightly, covering her face with her hat, and collapsed again. The others all tried to help her up, but she wouldn't budge. Applejack began to weep, her shoulders heaving. Fluttershy and Rarity hugged and tried to console her softly. Pinkie opened her mouth to speak but seemed unable to think of anything to say. Applejack rolled onto her side and curled into a ball, muttering incoherently through her sobs.

* * *

"Another one?!" Twilight yelled, standing up. She opened her mouth to speak, but a look of frightened revelation crossed her face. She turned to Luna. "You don't think..."

Luna nodded, staggering to her hooves. "Like Manehattan." Then, without hesitation, she ran past the others, leapt outside, and began gliding. She scanned around. A crater had replaced the town hall, but Luna couldn't find the second one. Herds of various sizes stampeded throughout Ponyville, their yells of confusion and fear only barely masking the thundering of their hooves.

"Look!" Twilight said, catching up to Luna and pointing at the edge of town. "Sweet Apple Acres was hit!" Turning, Luna now spied a flattened grove of trees at the edge of town accompanied by more smoke. Twilight gasped in horror, falling a few feet. "Where's the barn?!" She immediately sped off, muttering to herself.

"Twilight!" Luna called after her. "What am I—?"

"Meteor!" somepony cried from below. More cries of meteor echoed out, and more screams followed. Luna spun around wildly, trying to find a white streak. She finally found it hurtling from the east, and she instinctively lit her horn and shot a beam at it. She underestimated its speed, and the white streak passed by long before the blue beam could meet it. The meteor touched down on the other side of town, where the train tracks lay. A bright orange flash blinded Luna for a brief moment, and the thud hurt her ears.

Luna looked eastward, and her insides grew cold. She counted three streaks of light growing closer. She thought of attempting to shoot them again but dismissed it. Remembering the wedding in Canterlot, she lit her horn, guessed how large Ponyville was, and focused on conjuring a large bubble around it. A bright blue beam shot from her horn and stopped a hundred feet above; it then split, cascading like a glowing fountain until it touched the earth.

Luna looked back to the three streaks and waited. They were getting closer, going faster. The hysteria below continued—though, either out of good faith or morbid curiosity, a few ponies stopped to watch.

"Come on," Luna muttered. "Please work, please work..."

A split second before they hit, Luna realized there were four—two had been right next to one another. The shield became a shower of blue glass. One right after another, the meteors effortlessly punched through the bubble, causing it to collapse and dissipate slowly around them. One meteor dug itself into a row of homes before detonating, ripping apart a dozen others. Another found a group of ponies in the town square, obliterating them in an instant, a dark red crater in their place.

The two tandem meteors struck Twilight's castle simultaneously. One hit the very top, decapitating the spire, and it landed in a far off hill, blowing half of it away. The other hit lower, punching deep into the castle before exploding. Shards of various purples and pinks scattered across the sky, raining down everywhere. The spire slowly leaned to one side, and with a loud crack, tumbled down, digging into the earth with its star.

Luna faltered, dropping a dozen feet from the sky as bits of her failed shield and the castle rained around her. The meteors struck so close in time that they might as well have been an earthquake. The screams resumed below, more frantic and chaotic now.

For a bewildered moment, Luna stared east, trembling. What now? They couldn't be stopped. She could try shooting them again, but at what cost? If she missed again... she couldn't afford to miss. She looked to the Everfree, an idea unfurling in her mind. But the meteors could miss _them_.

Luna looked down at the churning crowds below. She took a deep breath. "CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE!" she commanded in her royal voice. A few ponies looked up and got the attention of others to do the same. Luna lit her horn and shot a blue flare over the forest. "GO TO THE EVERFREE! GO TO THE CASTLE RUINS!" Many reluctantly looked between Luna and the forest. Luna groaned. "DO YE SEE NOT THAT IT IS THE ONLY PLACE OF SAFETY?" She cast a spell on herself, making herself glow like a bright blue phoenix. "NOW FOLLOW ME!"

* * *

Rarity shook her head slowly. "I thought the shield surely would have worked."

The other three refused to watch. Applejack continued to cry softly, her head buried in her hat. Fluttershy and Pinkie hugged her, no longer attempting to assure her verbally.

Rarity gasped, pointing a shaking hoof. "Twilight's castle! It's—"

"Rarity?" Fluttershy asked. "Could you please stop?"

"Sorry," Rarity mumbled, putting her hoof back down. "It's just... I can't believe..."

A voice hit their ears, echoing from Ponyville, indiscernible but recognizable. Ponies around them began turning to one another, all saying one name, both as a question and an answer. Pinkie and Fluttershy looked up, squinting at Ponyville. The three saw the blue flare arc and hover above the forest. Luna began to glow and fly towards the flare. Ponies gathered underneath her and followed, disappearing among the trees.

Dozens more meteors continued to pummel Ponyville for another hour, but most of the tension had eased both there and in Canterlot. Applejack refused to move until long after the shells stopped and darkness completely swept over the landscape. Rarity and Fluttershy stayed with her while Pinkie searched desperately for seats on a train to Ponyville for the following morning.


	13. Surprise

**13**

 **Surprise**

It had been the first real battle of the war, as far as Rainbow could tell. Thunderhead was about midway between Manehattan and Trottingham. At first, it was two scout groups bumping heads, and, within the hour, dozens of squadrons were fighting it out from cloud to cloud. The griffons were no longer bare, now clad in dark grey armor which clashed against the pegasi's azure.

The battle went on for what seemed like the entire afternoon, and it managed to clear the entire sky of clouds. Rainbow was a bit sour about not actually getting to finish a fight on her own. It seemed as though whenever she would start one, some other pony would come along and steal the show, usually Soarin'.

In the end, the fighting fizzled out, and Rainbow and the Wonderbolts went back to Thunderhead. Rainbow thought they had won; she didn't know for sure—nopony did—but the griffons seemed to back off first. She was just glad something had happened after a month of idleness. But, when the Wonderbolts had gotten back, they realized Surprise wasn't among them, and Rainbow felt guilty for wanting action. That evening, the Wonderbolts tasked themselves with finding Surprise before morning.

"Alright, we've got a lot of sky to cover, so hurry it up!"

Spitfire hovered in front of the main window, watching the team scramble for their equipment. Rainbow, who was ready for the mission, stood in front of her locker and stared at her helmet. A sense of anxiety hung over her, and she couldn't shake the feeling. Soarin', who had the locker adjacent, looked outside past his captain. He scrunched his nose.

"Why's it cloudy?" he asked. "Didn't we clear out this area in the battle?"

"Huh?" Rainbow snapped out of her thoughts and looked outside. "Oh," she said in mild astonishment. "That _is_ weird. I wonder how that all got here so fast." She absentmindedly buffed out her visor with her forehoof and began to answer her own thought. "Well, from what I know, the weatherponies don't go this far out, so maybe the weather here has a mind of its own, like the Everfree."

"Hm," Soarin' said somewhat indifferently. "Shouldn't there be a team or something clearing the skies to make it easier for us?"

Rainbow shrugged. "Maybe there aren't enough ponies here for that. We could always do it ourselves if it got too covered out there."

"Yeah, I guess." He shut his locker. "I guess I shouldn't be too worried. I mean, we'll have essentially the entire team looking for our missing bird. It shouldn't take long. I hope."

"Heh, you'd be surprised how big the sky can be when you're looking for one pony." She looked around at the other Wonderbolts. "How long does it take to get some armor on?"

"Well," Soarin' said with a smirk, "we can't _all_ be as fast as you."

Rainbow laughed. "Yeah, well, you all should be. We're wasting time here." She put her helmet on. She tried to forget the uneasiness she felt, but it persisted. "I'm going to go talk to Spitfire." Soarin' nodded, putting on his knee guards.

Rainbow flew over to the captain, who was glancing at her watch, her hoof lightly tapping the floor. She shook her head. "Tch, we needed to be out there five minutes ago. Come _on_ , ponies, let's go!" She then noticed Rainbow. "What?"

"N-nothing, ma'am," Rainbow said quickly, already regretting walking over. "I was just wondering what our search method was." Spitfire raised an eyebrow, saying nothing. Rainbow's ears folded down slightly.

"Our search method? Isn't it obvious?" Spitfire said, hoofs outstretched. "We have a dozen miles to cover before nightfall. We're gonna split up and comb the skies."

"Um, w-with all due respect, ma'am—"

"I know the last thing I'm gonna get out of you right now is respect, Dash."

Rainbow could feel waves of stupidity crashing in her mind. She thought for a second to just leave it, but her fears told her to keep going. She spoke more softly, as though hoping to make the thought less imposing. "Sh-shouldn't we stick together?"

 _"What?"_ Spitfire said incredulously. "Why in Equestria would we do that?"

"Well," Rainbow spoke faster now, "i-it's just that there might be some leftovers—griffons—hanging around, and I thought—"

"So?" Spitfire again raised an eyebrow.

"But wouldn't it be safer to—"

"Yeah, if we wanted to wander for a week looking for Surprise. The griffons aren't out there anymore. We have air superiority here." Her tone sharpened in derision. "What, are you worried you can't take care of a griffon if one somehow pops up?"

Rainbow was taken aback. "No, b-but—"

"Then drop it." Spitfire crossed her hooves.

"But ma'am, I—"

"What?" Spitfire raised her voice. "You _what,_ Dash?"

"I have a bad feeling is all," Rainbow muttered, slowly walking backwards.

Spitfire looked to yell again, but then sighed in defeat. "You and me both."

"Wh... what?"

"I guess if I'm being blunt with you..." Spitfire landed in front of Rainbow. "I'm not so sure about this op. You and the rest of the 'Bolts want to search, but I don't know about it. I don't want to waste time looking for somepony who's probably dead."

Rainbow looked her in disbelief. "Spitfire—ma'am—you can't be serious. Don't call off the search. That's not just some random pony out there. That's a Wonderbolt. One of us."

"I know that," Spitfire said curtly, silencing Rainbow. "But I'm thinking it might be pointless. You and I know damn well that the griffons don't just leave pegasi alone." Her face contorted in pain. "I think Surprise is dead, just floating somewhere in the ocean or on one of the thousands of clouds out there."

"But we can't just leave somepony like that," Rainbow insisted. "We have to look. We don't know if she's dead or not."

"How in Equestria _could_ she be alive?"

"Well, last I checked," Rainbow said, "clouds are easy to hide in."

Spitfire scoffed. "Hiding in a cloud won't help a spear to the chest."

"We don't know that!" Rainbow yelled, throwing a hoof up. Unbeknownst to the two, the other Wonderbolts started to gather around them quietly. "We don't know what happened that made her stay behind," Rainbow said. "She could've just had a broken wing, or she could've gotten knocked out, or... something."

"That's wishful thinking. Those griffons probably cleaned the area when they left."

"We still have to try!"

"And I'm not saying we shouldn't!" Spitfire groaned. "Listen, Dash, think for a second how I'm thinking. How likely is it that she's still alive, waiting, somewhere out there, even if she only had a broken wing?"

"Her chances of surviving would be a million times better if we'd hurry and look for her! Please don't cancel the search!"

"I'm not, damn it!" Spitfire yelled, stomping the ground. She looked around and noticed the other Wonderbolts watching, and then Rainbow saw. Everyone was silent. Spitfire cleared her throat and turned back to Rainbow. "I'm not. We're still going to look for Surprise. I just don't expect to find her." She looked at the other Wonderbolts, downcast. "I... I didn't want any of you to hear that. I didn't really want you to hear what I said about Princess Luna back when Manehattan was bombarded, either. I just have a hard time keeping my big mouth shut. Sorry, 'Bolts."

"Ma'am," said Rainbow timidly, "would you reconsider my idea? We—"

"It's not griffons that worry me, Dash. I just don't know if I'm ready to find nothing." Spitfire sighed, turning to the rest. "Come on, we need to get out there now or we won't be able to search at all."

* * *

Rainbow was now alone, bobbing in and out of clouds, craning her neck around. She peeked over this cloud and under that cloud, through that cloud and around this cloud. The apprehension she felt in the locker rooms still lingered, but eased off a little. Calling out for the Wonderbolt didn't seem to help her any, so she stopped a few minutes after the team split.

She had been doing this for the last half hour, searching her stretch of sky relentlessly. Growing tired, she went to a cloud on her left and kicked it, sending a small lightning bolt to arc from the opposite side. The thunder and electrified air helped wake her up some, but she was still weary from the long day. Looking around her now, she wished the sky had remained clear.

"Soarin' was right," Rainbow said to herself. "Why _are_ the clouds back so soon?" With a small shrug, she zipped around, clearing clouds seemingly as soon as she grazed them. After a minute, she looked around at her handiwork. To her dismay, the clouds had somehow gotten both bigger and darker. She sighed and moved on.

Suddenly, something flew by her. Something big. She first saw a dark blur far away from her, then an instant later, it was behind her. Rainbow got sucked into the vortex behind it, causing her to spin out of control for a few moments. At the same, an unsettling _whoosh_ assaulted her ears, followed by a deep sharp _crack_ , as if it were thunder. Holding her ears, after regaining her balance, Rainbow looked after the object. After a moment of thought, she remembered what it was, a feeling of despair filling her chest. She morbidly wondered where the shell would land.

Then something else flew by Rainbow. She whirled around, trying to find it. She knew it wasn't a shell. Then she was hit from behind. It sent her careening off, flipping into the cloudy sky, her helmet plummeting to the obscured ground below. Before she could get her bearings, a second hit, this time from above, sent her slamming into a cloud below. Another shell zipped over her.

She shook her head, and looking above her, she saw what had hit her. A griffon, slightly smaller than her, Rainbow thought, was diving at her quickly, a spear pointed directly at her face. Seeing the threat, Rainbow rolled out of the way, sending the griffon through the cloud.

Rainbow stood up, unsure where her attacker went. She heard a noise from behind and whirled around. The griffon was hovering there, poised for the kill. The griffon lunged at her, but Rainbow was ready. She sidestepped the attack and managed to step on the spear, ripping it out of the attacker's claws, and then kicked it from the fight. Another shell soared over them.

Rainbow faced her now disarmed opponent. She lobbed a left-hoof punch directly at the griffon's golden visor. The griffon was dazed, shaking its head. Rainbow aimed another punch, but the griffon flew upwards, causing Rainbow to fall flat. Then, seeing Rainbow unfocused, it lunged at her, claws bared. Rainbow saw it and pulled out of the way, but not far enough. The griffon's claws tore across her left cheek, leaving behind three long cuts from ear to chin.

More shells pierced through the clouds. Her eyes watering, Rainbow attempted to tackle her aggressor. The griffon dove a split second before, causing Rainbow to hit the cloud's surface, grasping at nothing. Specs of blood fell from her face as she stood up. She saw nothing, hearing only the wind. She spun around, trying to find the griffon. She then heard a piercing cry from below her, and was hit by a force directly on her stomach. She was sent spiraling upwards, with the griffon just below her. Rainbow couldn't breath; she had the wind knocked clean out of her.

She paused for a moment, trying to get some air. But, before she could even so much as blink, the griffon was above her, diving again. It hit her hard, pushing her down towards the cloud surface again. They both slammed into the cloud's surface, Rainbow pinned by the griffon. The pegasus mustered all of her power and kicked the griffon in the head, knocking it off of her, sending its helmet flying away.

Now Rainbow had a face to match the attacker, and she started. The griffon looked very nearly like Gilda, but, to Rainbow's relief, she wasn't. The griffons had dark violet tinged feathers and a golden beak. She was bleeding from just below her right eye, where Rainbow had punched her visor. Her eyes were various hues of amber. Rainbow didn't have much longer to look, as the griffon had shaken off Rainbow's attack and flew towards her at an incredible rate. Rainbow went above the griffon, causing her to overshoot, in an attempt to get some higher vantage point.

The pegasus circled a cloud in order to lose her opponent. After flying for some ways, she looked behind her and saw nothing. Another shell roared past her. Before she could get far, though, she was hit again, this time from her right. Rainbow spun into an adjacent cloud, and the griffon was there mere moments after. The pegasus was ready this time, and she managed to kick her attacker in the chest, sending the griffon upwards. Rainbow flew up to meet her, and punched the griffon in her lower beak. The griffon hovered away, staggering.

Rainbow attempted to pin the griffon onto the cloud behind her, but the griffon ducked. She then dove into the clouds beneath her. Rainbow followed, trying to estimate where she would pop up. She saw a wrinkle, and put all of her strength into a punch directly downward. She saw her attacker's face pop up and swung down. To the griffon's joy, Rainbow missed, and the griffon was able to deal her own blow to the pegasus. She caught Rainbow's throat, flipping her into the air. Rainbow landed on her back and struggled to get up, coughing.

Rainbow stood quickly and looked at the griffon, who was was standing a ways off, shaking. The griffon laughed, but her voice wavered. "Y-you ponies are pathetic." The griffon started circling around Rainbow, swishing her tail and fluffing her wings. "I-I thought I would have died long before I-I saw Canterlot, long before I killed your Swan." She laughed again. "But here I am, a-about to kill a member of the best damn squadron in Equestria."

The clouds above began drizzling. Another shell echoed across the sky. It didn't take long for Rainbow to understand who the Swan was. _"You!"_ she yelled, her sides aching. _"You_ killed Princess Celestia!" Images of her battered body flashed in Rainbow's eyes, and she grit her teeth.

The rain started coming down harder. The griffon stopped pacing and licked the blood from her claws. She saw Rainbow shudder and grinned. "Oh, and it was so easy, too. Didn't put up much of a fight. She just kinda flailed a bit and fell off her bed. Sad, really." Rainbow seethed, and the griffon smiled widely. "And tearing off her wings, snapping that horn... Whoo!" She caught her breath and straightened up. "But you're fun, too. You're at least making me work for this. Do me a favor, rainbow-mane. Say hi to your Swan in Hell for me." With that, she leapt at Rainbow.

Rainbow, deciding to use the griffon's tactics against her, dove beneath the cloud layer. She swooped a fair distance and emerged again on top of the clouds. She figured the griffon would follow her. A lone shell whizzed overhead. She turned around and saw the telltale wrinkle in the clouds. She put all of her might into her right hoof, fueled by her newfound hatred for this murderer, this princess-killer.

The griffon's head emerged, and Rainbow didn't miss. Hoof and skull connected, and the griffon flipped backwards from the force. The pegasus seized the opportunity and tackled the griffon midair. She punched the griffon's face over and over, not giving the griffon a window. A flash of lightning arched across the sky. She threw her opponent onto a cloud, watching the figure crumple on the surface.

A thunderclap echoed across the sky, much louder than the shells. Rainbow, adrenaline pumping, dove onto her downed opponent. She flipped her over, not registering the fear present in her eyes. The griffon covered her face with her front legs and claws, trying to turn away. Rainbow saw her neck and had the impulse thought to choke her. She began to pummel the griffon again, and when she saw her chance, she stamped hard with her two front hooves onto the griffon's throat. A short squawk escaped her beak.

She started flailing, trying to get the pegasus off, kicking her back paws at her stomach, clawing at her armor, wings flapping erratically. Rainbow stomped on the paws with her hind hooves, silencing their objections. The griffon, realizing clawing wouldn't work, instead tried to pry apart the pegasus' hooves. She grabbed each one and pulled with all her power, but the pegasus remained determined, pressing deeper into the feathers. The claws dug into Rainbow's armor and pierced her skin. The griffon tried to wrench herself away, arching her back, pulling back her head, anything to get air.

The two starkly contrasted, one nearly still, the other writhing. Several moments passed in relative silence. The storm grew closer, the rain gaining momentum. The fight was being drained from the griffon gradually. The wings slowed. The paws no longer demurred. The grip slackened. The claws still pulled but had lost their vigor. The eyes, once darting in every which direction, now stared right at Rainbow's. They were met with nothing but hatred, pure and unobstructed. The griffon could not keep much longer. She concentrated all of her energy to pulling at least one hoof away, to get a breath, to fly away. Another flash. It all stopped.

Another thunderclap. The shells continued to tear through the sky. The claws, once actively trying to save their master, fell to either side of her head, and the pegasus stepped off her kill. There was a slow, rattled exhalation from the griffon. Her eyes stared up without seeing.

The adrenaline was still pumping throughout Rainbow's body. She had done it. Celestia was finally avenged. The one who killed the princess of the sun was dead. Rainbow panted, trying to calm herself down, her mind still on her kill.

The rain began to pour. Rainbow's buzz soon fizzled out, leaving behind a prickly sensation. Twinges popped up throughout her body, and she quivered a bit. Her face and chest injuries came back in full force. She sat on her haunches, looking at the gathering storm. Her mind cleared. Looking back to the corpse of the griffon, her eyes widened.

"I... I-I... killed..."

A third flash, a third thunderclap. She started, backing away from the griffon a few paces. Her heart now heavy, its beating felt as though it threatened to burst from her chest. Her mind raced, thoughts going by so fast she couldn't process them all. She stared to breath quickly, realizing the gravity of what she had just done. She hugged herself to try and calm herself down. Her stomach suddenly began to heave. She ran to the edge of the cloud and vomited. Her nose stinging, she started crying. She collapsed, covering her face with her wings. She couldn't bear to look at the griffon. She pulled at her matted mane, muttering "what have I done" between heavy sobs.

She lay for some time, digesting the assaulting flurry of thoughts. The lightning and thunder and rain and shells continued. A part of her wanted to justify her actions, but another wished to hate herself. What about the bad things this griffon had done? This was the griffon who killed Celestia. This was the griffon who started the war. She spat some of the remains of her vomit and held her mouth open to drink some rain.

Looking at the griffon, she sniffled and wiped some blood from her cheek. She stood and walked over to the fallen enemy, trying to avoid eye contact to no avail. A glint caught her attention, and Rainbow followed it to find dog tags around the griffon's neck. Curiosity getting the better of her, she brought them to her eyes and read them.

 _Gwendolyn_

 _44B-0315_

New waves of guilt crashed over her. She didn't kill just some griffon. She killed Gwen, whoever she used to be. She was someone's daughter, or sister, or wife. Someone. Now she was gone. But this griffon, this Gwen, had killed Celestia, she continued to reason. Rainbow wanted to believe she was vindicated by avenging her, but no such feeling of relief came. She wanted to puke again, to purge this awfulness, this confusion, this guilt, from her. She couldn't help but stare at Gwen's eyes. They looked so much like Gilda's. She stood for a while, unable to move or think of anything else.

After a moment, she remembered the other Wonderbolts and gasped. "If I-I was attacked... then..." A faint tingling sensation washed over her, and her heart slowly quickened. She stood up, about to take off, but stopped. She took one last look at Gwen and felt as if she should say something. Unable to think of anything, she looked to the skies and took flight.


	14. Late

**14**

 **Late**

A dark red dot caught the corner of Rainbow's eye. She turned and looked, squinting in the torrential rains. She flew closer, attempting to figure out what it was. She climbed upwards to get a better view, shielding her face from the downpour. She wished she had her helmet. She stopped her ascent and looked back at the red spot but nothing was made any clearer. Dread mounting, she drew nearer to it and soon saw a dark figure was on top of the red.

Adrenaline feebly trickled through her body. Rainbow's eyes widened, and she sped quickly towards what she hoped wasn't what she thought. As she approached, she winced, her fear confirmed. It was a Wonderbolt. The blood surrounding it was being absorbed by the cloud it lay upon. She landed on the cloud, just outside of the blood's perimeter. She gasped, recognizing the Wonderbolt. Her breathing quivered.

"F-Fleetfoot?" Rainbow asked, not daring to hope. The Wonderbolt did not stir. Rainbow crept up to her fallen wingmate. She rolled her to one side and had a small intake of breath. A small wooden shaft, broken at its end, jutted out of the pegasus' chest. The blood around the wound had not yet caked.

"Fleetfoot..." Rainbow took off her fallen's helmet, and a blank stare greeted her. "No." She shook her. "No, no, no..." She hung her head. Looking at Fleetfoot, she saw her dog tags poking out from under her uniform. She hesitated, feeling sick again. She took a dog tag off of her and put it on the chain around her own neck. "I'm so... so sorry..."

She saw a cloud adjacent to her and flew over. Grabbing it, she returned to Fleetfoot and covered her with it. She did not know what to say again, becoming frustrated with herself for her lack of eloquence. She took one last look at Fleetfoot's clouds, whispered her final apology, and took off. She held the dog tag close to her chest. She hoped against hope this was the only dead pony out here.

* * *

She saw it again, another red splotch. She almost denied it, not wanting to see what could be lying there. But it could be just a griffon, she thought, and she could move on with her search. She shook her head. What good _was_ this search? She looked again, slowing somewhat, but couldn't make anything else out. Out of morbid curiosity, she decided to go to it. As she flew closer, it became clear the figure was another Wonderbolt. It was face down on the cloud, unmoving.

She again landed outside the blood's borders. She recognized the pegasus as Misty Fly. Not the missing Wonderbolt, she thought. This was a nightmare. It had to be. She walked towards the figure. "Misty?" She could hardly speak anymore. She turned the Wonderbolt over and flinched away immediately.

Claw marks were all over Misty's body, and her chest had been torn open, exposing her insides to the outside. Her face was marred in a similar fashion—one eye was absent, as was part of her cheek and a chunk of an ear. "O-oh—" was all Rainbow could say before she turned and began heaving again. Fortunately, not much came up.

Coughing, wiping her mouth, she dared to peek at the fallen pegasus again. "How could they do this to you?" She now saw chunks of flesh intermingled with the blood stained cloud. She absentmindedly held her own stomach. She didn't want to be out here anymore.

She looked around for Misty's dog tags and had the disturbing thought that they might be inside the body. She found them, thankfully, outside on an adjacent cloud. They were seemingly thrown from the site a ways, perhaps during the attack. She shuddered, placing one dog tag next to the corpse, and the other next to hers and Fleetfoot's. She only had one griffon to deal with. Misty looked as though two or three had gotten to her, with the different sized claw marks and—

Rainbow pulled on her mane. She wanted out. She wanted to be gone, away from all of this. She looked at the body and quickly away. She used the cloud the dog tags rested upon and placed it overtop of Misty. She said goodbye.

She stopped. "Why am I saying goodbye?" she muttered. "It's not like you're there anymore. Whatever." She took off once more, more ready to be done than ever.

* * *

The rain still poured from the heavens in droves. Rainbow shivered, her usually warm uniform soaked clean through. Her mane clung to her head and forced her ears down. The dog tags jangled about on her chest. Two more had joined Fleetfoot and Misty. To Rainbow, they all seemed impossibly heavy, physically hurting her to carry them.

Four Wonderbolts were dead, and a fifth probably wasn't coming back home either. Rainbow had to make sure, for her own sake, that somepony, anypony, made it out of this death trap. She kept telling herself she would return to Thunderhead if she didn't find anypony within twenty or so minutes. She didn't know how she would break the news to the rest of the team, whatever was left of them.

The rain continued to pound Rainbow. She wanted to fly above the clouds but knew if she did, she would be out of the search zone, where nopony would be. Her teeth began chattering. The adrenaline was long gone, and her body ached from the fight with Gwen and from the strain of flying. She tried to keep her thoughts off of what she had seen and done. Not much else, though, was relevant in her mind, and she continued to torment herself.

From her left, she heard a faraway screech. She flinched, covering her head. Realizing she wasn't being attacked, she flew to where she thought she heard it. Passing over a cloud, she squinted and could make out two figures, seemingly dancing in the distance. One was smaller—a pony, she assumed—and the other was larger—a griffon. She cautiously flew towards them, watching them fight. She could not see who was winning, as the rain made everything a blur.

As she flew closer, there was a flash of lightning which illuminated the sky behind the two, and Rainbow saw a second large figure hurdling straight for the pony. She gasped and picked up her speed. She thought she had seen the other griffon with a spear. She got closer and closer but arrived too late. The second griffon had reached the pony first, and the pony instantly stopped moving.

"No!" Rainbow yelled. She quickly covered her mouth, coughing with the effort. The first griffon had looked in Rainbow's direction while the second threw the pony off of the spear downwards. Rainbow ducked below the clouds and made to catch the falling Wonderbolt. She arced downwards, lining up hers and the pony's motion. She caught the downed pegasus and sped off as quickly as she could away from the two griffons. As she neared a suitable patch of clouds to hide in, she realized with a gasp the pony was Spitfire. She made her way to a cloud in the middle and placed her captain atop of it. She ripped off the scratched helmet, flinging it away.

"Spitfire!" Rainbow said, grabbing ahold of Spitfire's shoulders. The captain had her eyes clamped shut. She coughed, blood staining her teeth, and she let out a loud and shuddered groan. She rolled away from Rainbow, curling up in a ball and holding her stomach, coughing and taking shaky breaths. The grey cloud below them began to turn scarlet, and Rainbow couldn't help but stare. She racked her brain for something, anything, to help.

Spitfire groaned again, and Rainbow stood up, desperately looking around. She saw small clouds and immediately thought they could help. She zipped over and, after a quick scan of the skies, returned with two pillow-sized clouds. Spitfire continued to shudder. Rainbow tentatively rolled her back over, trying to keep herself calm.

"O-o-okay, Sp-pit." She reached for Spitfire's hooves. "I-I need you t-to—"

"No!" Spitfire said, coughing again. Rainbow flinched. Spitfire's eyes snapped open and bored into Rainbow's. "D-d-don't touch me!"

"Spitfire, please! I need to help you!"

"Don't touch me..." she said more weakly.

"Spitfire, you're bleeding badly! You're gonna die if you don't let me help you!" Rainbow picked up one of the small clouds, and Spitfire groaned again. Rainbow reached for one of Spitfire's hooves, and Spitfire closed her eyes again. Her hoof shook in Rainbow's violently, and she kept pulling it back toward herself. Rainbow placed the cloud on Spitfire's chest and let the hoof go. It landed with a puff, and Spitfire pressed it tightly against her with both hooves.

Spitfire coughed again and looked at Rainbow. Her eyes widened as she looked at Rainbow's neck. She closed her eyes, struggling to form words. Opening her eyes, she turned to look at Rainbow again. "Who... didn't...?"

"Spitfire, we need to worry about you right now, and—""

"Who," Spitfire said, more forcefully now, "d-died?"

Rainbow sighed. "I-I found Fleetfoot, M-Misty Fly, Fire Streak, and High W-Winds... ma'am." Spitfire groaned, quieter now. The first small cloud was already half red, and Rainbow quickly stuffed the other one between hooves. "Now I need you to stay on your back, okay? Okay, Spit?" The captain muttered something. "The other wound doesn't have anything but the cloud to stop it."

"Four?" Spitfire managed to croak. Rainbow stopped and looked at Spitfire. She nodded solemnly. Spitfire rested her head on the cloud, coughing again. "You... you d-didn't see... anypony else?"

"No, ma'am," Rainbow said, hovering next to her captain. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

"It's not... not your fault... Let's hope... that they... t-the rest... made it back."

Rainbow busied herself, molding the cloud to prop Spitfire's hind legs and head up. "Spit, not being rude, but I kinda want you to stop talking for a while, alright? I need you to save your energy."

She flew to a bigger cloud, grabbed it, and placed it above Spitfire. "This is for the rain," Rainbow said, gesturing to the cloud. "I'm gonna make sure you'll be alright." She placed the cloud closer to Spitfire. "I'll get you over to Thunderhead as fast as I can, ma'am. You're gonna be alright. You're not gonna die here." All Spitfire could do was groan and nod.

Rainbow positioned herself behind the cloud and heaved, trying to get it to move. After a few attempts, it slowly began drifting where she wanted. It took almost all of her remaining strength to keep it going. She had hoped she could speed up to a sonic rainboom, but could only muster a dozen or so miles per hour. She had hoped she had enough adrenaline to get her going, but she guessed it was all used up. Her wings protested every movement she made long before she found Fleetfoot, let alone Spitfire. Her right side was on fire from where the griffon slammed into her.

After a few minutes of coughs and groans, Spitfire talked again, quieter. "Do... was I a... good captain?" Rainbow muttered something close to assent. Spitfire coughed. "No. I wasn't. I could've done... more. I," a cough, "shouldn't have thrown my... my doubts at them. I should've... I should've listened to you... Didn't think... griffons..."

"Spitfire," Rainbow said between breaths, "save your energy. I don't want you worrying over stuff that's already happened. We need to worry about you right now. I don't want you to die. Keep pressure on those clouds."

"Dash. W-what do I have now? I've... I've let... my team down. F-five are d-dead now... because of m-me..."

"Come on, Spit," Rainbow said, trying to keep her aches out of mind. "You need to work with me."

"First Canterlot, now... What do I... I say to the rest...? How can I," a cough, "face them?"

"Spitfire, please."

"S-sorry."

Rainbow tried to think of the right words. "You... you did what you thought was best. We had to find Surprise, and separating was the quickest way. We didn't know that they'd—"

"I-It's still my fault—"

"No, Spit, it isn't. We all did our best. There were just a lot more of them than of us."

Spitfire winced, causing a tremor in the cloud. "What if... w-what if nopony is back? What if it's... it's o-only us left?" Rainbow hadn't thought about that, and she let out an audible whimper. Spitfire heard it, and she began to cry softly, gripping the clouds and pressing it against her wounds. "I'm so stupid... stupid... _stupid_..." Rainbow looked away from the figure of Spitfire shifting around, feeling terrible. "I d-don't think..." Spitfire continued, "I can look at... m-myself anymore. They're dead. Gone." She stopped crying, her energy presumably sapped by it.

"I'm sorry," was all Rainbow could utter.

"We m-might not... make it back e-either..." She paused, looking out from the crack between the two clouds. "Rainbow?"

"Yes ma'am?" she replied, now curious. Spitfire never called her that.

"I... I o-order you... leave me."

Rainbow nearly stopped, losing her grip on the clouds momentarily. She couldn't believe her ears. "What?!" she blurted, straining her throat.

Her captain sniffed again, but her voice was now more firm. "L-leave me."

Rainbow pushed on resolutely. "I'm sorry, captain, but I can't do that."

Spitfire coughed, then winced. "Rainbow," she said, "listen to m-me... I'm as good as d-dead. I-I don't want you to... to die out here too."

"No, Spit, you're not gonna die. _We're_ not gonna die."

"Rainbow, leave me!" She went into another coughing fit, worrying Rainbow. She quieted down. "W-what good am I n-now?"

"What good? You're the captain! Think of the other Wonderbolts. I..." She hoped she wouldn't regret saying this. "I-I guarantee you that the rest are still alive. What're we gonna do without you?"

"Then I w-want you... to meet them, not... w-waste time lugging... around a body."

"Spit, we're not that far from Thunderhead now. I can do this."

"I'm not... saying you can't... I..." She paused, and Rainbow thought she would cry again. _"I_ can't. I'm d-dead enough... knowing five are dead..."

"Yeah, well, I plan on keeping it at five. I _will_ get you to Thunderhead, Spitfire, I promise you."

Spitfire sighed. "O-okay. But if... if I d-don't make it—"

"—which you will—"

"Rainbow," she said, coughing again. "Listen. If I d-don't... make it... a-and things... somehow... haven't gone to hell... would you... you lead the Wonderbolts?"

Rainbow almost lost her grip again. "What? You mean become captain?"

"Yes."

"Me?" Rainbow couldn't find her voice for a moment, her brain stumbling over Spitfire's words. "But what about Soarin'? He's—"

"If he's even alive," said Spitfire coldly. Rainbow's words again got stuck in her throat. She didn't dare think Soarin' could be dead. "And if he's alive," Spitfire continued, "he'll understand."

Rainbow fought back stray tears. "What do you mean he'll—" She shook her head. "You want me to be captain? Why? Why me? I've only been in the Wonderbolts for, what, a couple months? Soarin's been in for years! He's second-in-command for Celestia's sake!"

"A-and here you are. Y-you got those dog tags... a-and you're p-pushing me back to base. I don't see him."

"But—"

"And you're the one who... who said we should stick together, even... even going against me. S-Soarin' wouldn't ever do that."

"Spitfire—"

"You've done more... more than he's dreamt of. You've saved Equestria... a d-dozen times over."

"But that's completely different! I had help then." She briefly thought of Twilight and the others and blinked them away from her mind. "This is a whole different game. How does any of that stuff qualify me to lead a squadron in war? He's _been_ in the squadron longer, been second-in-command for all that time. Let him lead."

Spitfire managed to chuckle. "You think I got... got where I'm at... knowing a-all the things I-I know now? Ponies still... still learn in life, Rainbow... And you, from what... what I-I've heard... you've done some learning... I-I think you can handle it."

Rainbow had no reply. She wanted to say something else, but she couldn't find the right words. She pushed on in relative silence, the rain beginning to lessen somewhat. She guessed they were now just a mile out. Spitfire's words about Soarin's fate continued to ring in her mind, and she hoped desperately that he was okay.

A few minutes passed. Rainbow now no longer heard thunder nor saw lightning. The rain, once a torrent, now was a few notches above a light shower. Her wings had now become mercifully numb, allowing her to trek on unimpeded. She grew tired of her outstretched forehooves, so she switched to pushing with her head, and later to pushing with her back. She wished she had a rope with which to drag the cloud.

A dark shape appeared on the horizon against lighter clouds. Rainbow sighed. Thunderhead. They were so close. She tried to give some extra energy to her wings, but they refused. The rain became a drizzle, then a sprinkle. Rainbow shook off the moisture from her face, whipping her mane from her eyes.

"Sorry..." Rainbow's ears perked up. "So... sorry..." She heard soft crying from Spitfire again. She thought she could hear Spitfire muttering something between breaths. Rainbow strained to listen. The humble pitter-patter of the sprinkling rains drowned out most of the sounds. Spitfire was growing softer, and Rainbow was nearly pressing her ears against the cloud. Silence. Then Rainbow heard her mutter something which sounded like "thank you." Silence once more.

Rainbow's eyes widened. "Spitfire?" She peeked over the clouds. She saw they were close enough to Thunderhead for them to help. She took a deep breath and whistled shrilly. Several ponies at the cloud headquarters squinted in the misty night. Rainbow urged her wings to keep flapping, to pick up the pace. One pony saw Rainbow pushing the cloud and began to fly to her. Rainbow, panting, finally allowed herself to slow.

"Heh... heh... we... we made it, Spit... heh..." She looked at the cloud in front of her expectantly. "Spit?" She stopped, her heart pounding. "No, no, no no no..." She flew to the side and batted away the top layer of the cloud. She sighed in relief. Spitfire was there. She had her eyes closed, her mouth in a smile.

"Come on Spit, let's get you to the infirmary." She pushed on her captain's shoulder to wake her. She did not stir. "Spit, come on." The pegasus who flew to meet them was Soarin', who looked relieved beyond comprehension. "Spitfire..." Rainbow croaked. Her hovering wavered slightly.

"Rainbow Dash!" Soarin' yelled. "Oh, thank Celestia, you made it!" He flew to the opposite side of the cloud from Rainbow . "I was so worried that—" he saw his captain lying still. "Spitfire? Oh, oh no..." He turned to Rainbow. "Are you—" Soarin' gasped, a hoof slightly raised to her face. "Oh, Dash..."

Rainbow looked at Soarin'. He was wounded as well. His right forehoof was bandaged, and numerous cuts were etched around his face and neck. Rainbow just stared at Soarin', lost for words, joy fighting despair. She looked back to her captain and began mumbling to herself. Soarin' noticed Rainbow was wavering and flew over to the other side of the cloud to hold her steady. She didn't seem to notice him now.

"Medic!" Soarin' yelled, seeing the red pool beneath the captain. He shook Spitfire's forehoof. "We need medics over here!" He kept calling, straining his voice. Four ponies, one by one, hurried to them.

"Spitfire..." she said, her voice almost a whisper. "Please..." She nudged her captain again, tears welling in her eyes. She put her head on the cloud. "No... No, no, no, no no no _no no!_ I-it's not fair! I saved you! I-I did e-everything! S-she, those griffons, I-I went a-as fast as I c-could!" She looked at Spitfire. "Damn it! Why?!" She pleaded, her captain blissfully ignoring her. "Why d-did you have to d-die?!" She fell out of the air a little, but Soarin' caught her.

Her tears stung her cuts. She felt she couldn't breathe. Her wings no longer felt numb, and their pain had seemingly spread to the rest of her body. Soarin', alone, guided her to the clouds of the base, tears crawling down his own face. Rainbow did not object. She hardly even realized he was there. Far from sobbing now, she was led away from Spitfire, who was now mobbed by the medical team. Soarin' was saying something to her, but she either couldn't hear or couldn't care to listen. Her hooves no sooner touched the cloud floor of the base when she slipped through Soarin's grasp and collapsed.


	15. News

**15**

 **News**

"Oh, can't this train go any faster?"

Pinkie somehow managed to find tickets to Ponyville for the following morning, despite nearly every other volunteer in Canterlot wanting to do likewise. Applejack and Rarity were sitting together. Rarity was quickly tapping her hoof against the floor, looking out the window. Applejack had her hat next to her. She stared at the ground, shaking slightly. Fluttershy sat across from them, looking between the two worriedly.

"Rarity," Fluttershy said calmly, "I'm sure they're going as fast as they can."

"Well," Rarity looked at her, "it feels like we've been sitting here for days! Didn't the conductor say we'd arrive at ten?"

"Yes, and I think it's nearly a quarter to ten right now." Fluttershy looked out of her window, watching the trees pass by. "We'll be there soon enough."

Rarity continued to tap her hoof. She looked at Applejack, who still hadn't moved. She nudged Applejack out of her thoughts, and she snapped upright, blinking.

"Are you doing alright, dear?" Rarity asked.

Applejack looked down at the floor again. "I-I'm scared, Rarity," she said quietly. She grabbed her hat and held it to her chest. "You saw what happened to the farm. I don't know what to think. I can't bear the thought that they might've..." She whimpered.

"Applejack," Fluttershy said, "I'm sure they're okay—"

"And _what,"_ Applejack barked, making Fluttershy flinch, "exactly, makes you say that? Huh?" She twisted her hat. "How d'ya know that they're okay? How d'ya know that when we get there, they'll still be alive?"

"Oh," Fluttershy looked away, "uh, I-I don't." She quieted her voice. "Sorry. I was just trying to make—"

"I..." Applejack sighed. "No, I'm sorry, Fluttershy." She smoothed out her hat and put it on. "Shouldn't've snapped at ya like that. And you're right. The Apples're smart. They're probably... probably campin' out in the fields or... or somethin'." She stared at the ground again, lost in worry.

"I do sure hope Sweetie Belle's with them," Rarity said, "and Scootaloo as well. I'd hate for them to be separated."

"Um," Fluttershy looked around, "speaking of friends, where did Pinkie go?"

"Oh, well..." Rarity pointed behind Fluttershy towards the front of the cabin. She turned and saw a pink mane poke above the other seats and passengers. Pinkie looked to be staring out of the window. "She said she wanted some time alone," Rarity said.

"Oh," Fluttershy said, turning back around. "Okay then." She stared out of the window again. "I hope this whole thing is over soon."

Pinkie had been counting every tree since they had left; three hundred and seventeen had passed so far. She hadn't been able to figure out where the other doozy was yet, or if it had already happened. The tingling feeling in her gut still remained, and she had fretted about it throughout the night. She wanted to catch up on her sleep on the train, but pangs of anxiety and glimmers of epiphanies bounced around in her mind and prevented her from slipping into so much as a pleasant reverie.

"Three hundred eighteen," she muttered to herself. A thought sprang into her mind. She wasn't acting like her old self anymore. She laughed coldly. Fear and death kind of put a damper on parties. "Three hundred nineteen." Not only was her unsolved doozy worrying her, but she had taken it upon herself to fret about all in Ponyville. She started to regret she had made friends with everypony. How oddly at peace others must be, focused only on their own small circles and not an entire town.

There was only one pony Pinkie hadn't given much thought to until now: Twilight. She closed her eyes and sighed. She wasn't exactly excited to see her. Sure, she wanted Twilight to be okay, but she didn't want to talk with her so soon. She hardly spoke to her on that fateful day, and during their time volunteering in Canterlot, she hadn't written to her like the others had. She rested her head on the window with a thunk. "Three hundred twenty." The trees seemed to be thinning out now.

The door next to her opened. Pinkie looked over and saw the conductor drop a stack of newspapers and shut the door. Pinkie was about to count more trees when she saw a familiar face in the paper. It was Rainbow, and she was with the Wonderbolts. She read the headline, wondering why they were on the front cover.

 _WONDERBOLTS KILLED!_

Pinkie felt as though she had been kicked in the gut, knocking away the lingering tingles. She stared at it for a few seconds, mouth ajar. She quickly snagged the entire stack, hiding it from view. She frantically freed a newspaper from the twine-bound stack, flipped it towards herself, and started reading the cover.

 _Tragedy struck yesterday evening. While searching for a missing member of their team after the first great battle of the war, the Wonderbolts were ambushed by a group of marauding griffons. In one fell swoop, Equestria lost its most prestigious squadron._

Pinkie caught Rainbow's name in a paragraph below and immediately turned her attention to it.

 _The captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire, was rushed to Thunderhead by Rainbow Dash, but she unfortunately succumbed to a stab wound._

Pinkie scanned through the other paragraphs, wincing at mentions of stabbings and maulings, searching for Rainbow's name again. When she finally found it, she yelped, covering both her mouth and the words. She sat for a while, trying to compose herself. She slowly uncovered it and continued to read, a hoof still over her mouth.

 _Rainbow Dash, the newest member of the team, flew Spitfire back to Thunderhead before collapsing on the cloud fortress. She had with her dog tags of four fellow Wonderbolts; Fire Streak, Fleetfoot, High Winds, and Misty Fly._

Pinkie's eyes began to water. This was it. This was the doozy. She stared at the paragraph, unbelieving. "Dashie... Dashie _c-can't_ be dead," she whispered to herself. She began to shake, trying not to cry aloud. "She c-c-can't just... _die_. _"_ In a vain attempt to stifle her crying, not knowing what else to do, she continued reading.

 _The Equestrian Air Force is now reconsolidating its hoofhold in the northwestern Celestial Sea after this shocking loss. They have recently begun to push towards the Griffish Isles in an attempt to—_

Pinkie didn't care anymore. She went back to Rainbow's paragraph and reread it a dozen times. She stared at the photo, tears occasionally splattering onto the black print. She looked at Rainbow's face, popping up from behind the other Wonderbolts.

She remembered that picture. It was Rainbow's first time flying in a show as an actual Wonderbolt. That was a happy day. Rainbow was smiling. She was happy. "Gone," Pinkie croaked. She looked at all the ponies standing with her. Everyone in that picture was gone. Those faces were alive yesterday. Pinkie looked back at Rainbow. Sniffling, she hugged the paper.

Anger slowly drowned out sadness. Why did she learn of her best friend's death through the newspaper? How did she die? What griffon had killed her? Pinkie thoughts slowly slid to the night Rainbow had left. Rainbow had wanted to go, but Twilight had kept her. For a while. Then she let her go. Why? Why would she let Rainbow do something so stupid? Did she not care? She didn't exactly let Rainbow go with the best of encouragement. This was her fault, Pinkie thought. If Twilight had stood her ground, Rainbow would still be alive.

The train abruptly slowed down, pushing Pinkie out of her thoughts. She looked around. "What in tarnation?" she heard Applejack yell from somewhere behind her. Pinkie looked outside and saw Ponyville station a ways off. The door opened again, and the conductor stepped out.

"It appears that the meteors," he said, "or whatever hit Ponyville yesterday," he added darkly, "have also hit the tracks. We apologize for the delay."

Pinkie, thinking quickly, grabbed the stack of newspapers in her mouth and bolted past the conductor, leaving the one she had read behind. She jumped off the slowly moving train and made a beeline for Ponyville, passing the crater in front of the train. Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy stared after her.

"Now, really," Rarity said, "what's gotten into her?" With a small yelp, Applejack tore off her hat, held it in her mouth, and ran off the train as well. She seemed initially to follow Pinkie, but she then veered toward what was left of her farm.

Rarity grabbed the newspaper from off of the bench but didn't think to read it. She and Fluttershy slowly and awkwardly passed the conductor and walked off the train car. They looked between two vanishing dust trails and each other as the train lumbered to a stop behind them.

"Who do we follow?" Fluttershy asked.

"U-um..." Rarity said, looking towards the farm. "I-I'm sorry, but..." She took a step away from Fluttershy. "I'm going to have to go with Applejack b-because—"

"Sweetie Belle?" Fluttershy suggested.

Rarity nodded somberly. "She might be there. Oh," she added quietly, "I hope to Celestia she's there." With a small wave, she too turned and ran for the farm, newspaper aloft, leaving Fluttershy alone.

"I guess..." Fluttershy looked at the town and slowly started to walk. "I guess I'll follow Pinkie then."

* * *

"Why did they have to hit the library?"

Twilight stared up at her battered castle. All across town, there were fragments of it scattered on the ground as if a giant had sprinkled pink and purple glitter everywhere. Twilight sighed as she picked up a pillow-sized piece and threw it. "How in Equestria are we going to fix this?"

"Well, I have an idea."

Twilight whirled around and saw Spike carrying a bucket of crystal shards. Twilight groaned. "Spike! I've told you not to sneak up on me like that!"

He laughed. "I announced myself, didn't I?"

"Not really," Twilight retorted. Spike shrugged and trudged past Twilight. He dumped the bucket onto a growing pile of crystal debris Twilight hadn't noticed before. "So, uh, Spike?"

"Yeah."

"What's your idea? Why are you gathering the shards up?"

"I was thinking that," he set the bucket down, "if we got all the pieces and put 'em back on, the castle could just kinda fix itself. That's pretty much what I've been doing all morning."

"Oh. What made you think of that?"

"The castle's magic, remember?"

She scowled a bit. "Yeah. Right."

"Where are the others?"

"Starlight and Sunburst are in the castle, checking around the rooms. Luna, I think, is going through town, seeing if anypony needs help with anything." She looked at the pile of shards. "So, what, are we just gonna put these in the holes and cracks to see if they fix anything?"

"Don't look at me, it's not _my_ magic castle." He picked his bucket up. "I'll be out getting more shards."

Twilight groaned. "Alright. Don't get yourself cut!"

"Yeah, yeah." He waved and ran back into town.

Twilight looked around at the craters dotting the town, shaking her head. "I wonder how many shells, or whatever, they threw at us." Her ears perked up as she heard somepony galloping towards her. She turned and saw a pony in the distance with something in their mouth. Squinting, Twilight recognized Pinkie, but she couldn't tell what she had.

"Hey," she called out, "Pinkie! What're you doing back so early?" Pinkie didn't slow down. Twilight covered her face with a wing as Pinkie slid to a halt in front of her, kicking up a cloud of dust. Fanning it away and coughing, Twilight looked at Pinkie. She still held the stack of newspapers in her mouth. She was panting heavily through her teeth, and she looked furious. She stared at Twilight, not saying a word.

"Oh my gosh, Pinkie, what's wrong? And what's with the newspapers?"

Pinkie continued to stare at Twilight. She spat out her cargo. It flopped to the ground, kicking up more dirt. Twilight looked at the front cover as the dust settled.

"Huh? What about the Wonder—" she gasped, choking a bit on dust. "Killed?! How in—" Without warning, Pinkie delivered a right hook to Twilight's face, causing her to stagger. She shook her head, trying to clear her vision of colorful lights. She looked through them at Pinkie, who stood and watched her. She wiped her nose and was surprised to see blood on her hoof. "Pinkie, what's gotten into—"

"You did this," Pinkie said.

"What?" Twilight said. "How is this my—"

"Don't act like you don't know." The quietness of Pinkie's voice unsettled Twilight. "You let her go. 'Fine. Leave. Die then. See what good that does you.' You said that to her. You let her go."

Twilight's insides turned cold. "Wait, you're not saying _Rainbow's_ —?!"

"Read the paper. You tell me."

Twilight took ahold of the top newspaper and yanked it free. She scanned it for a few seconds and looked back at Pinkie. She kept reading the same few lines over and over again, shaking her head softly and muttering to herself. She glanced up when she heard a pony walking towards them, but she continued to read upon recognizing Fluttershy without saying anything.

Fluttershy looked cautiously between the two. "Twilight," she said quietly, reaching toward her friend. "Why is your nose bleeding?"

"Rainbow's dead," Pinkie said callously.

Fluttershy retracted her hoof with a gasp and snapped her wings to her sides. She looked between Pinkie and Twilight, who was still engrossed in the paper. "W-w-what?" Fluttershy whispered, shaking.

"Dead." Pinkie repeated. "Killed. Gone. Passed. Kaput. Whatever. Thanks to her," Pinkie pointed at Twilight. "She let her go."

"Wh... w-wh..." Twilight couldn't speak. Tears were steaming down her face. She shakily took a breath. "D-d-do you r-really think it's _my_ f-fault?"

A tremor ran across Pinkie's face, but she otherwise stood completely rigid. She stared at Twilight, who looked from her to Fluttershy. Pinkie pulled back and punched Twilight in the same spot again. Twilight stumbled and fell to her side.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy said. She flew between Pinkie and Twilight, helping her up. "Are you alright?" Twilight shook her head and stood, still unbalanced.

Pinkie took one step towards them but only stared at Fluttershy. "Move."

"W-what?" Fluttershy turned to face her. "Pinkie—"

"Move." Pinkie raised her voice slightly and took another step.

Fluttershy cowered. "P-Pinkie, this i-isn't like you—"

"Move!" Pinkie crouched slightly.

"N-no!" Fluttershy held out her wings but took a step back. Twilight looked uneasily between the two.

Pinkie stared at Fluttershy, seething. She took a half step towards her before stopping. With a huff, she straightened up and looked past Fluttershy at Twilight.

"All you had to do was say no." Tears now spilled over her cheeks, and her voice broke. "All you had to do was say _no!"_ Openly weeping, she ran off into town.

Twilight and Fluttershy stood in stunned silence for a few moments as the dust settled. Fluttershy's voice was barely a whisper. "O-oh-h-h... S-s-she c-can't be d-dead, Twilight, she c-can't be... dead... d-dead..." Fluttershy collapsed onto the ground and sobbed. Twilight stood, still wrapped in her own thoughts.

"What is going on here?" Luna dove down towards the two, who barely seemed to have acknowledged her. Luna looked between them. "What happened?"

Twilight didn't look at her. "P-paper." Puzzled, Luna levitated a tossed paper to herself. She first saw the many tear marks on the paper and made to wipe them off. Then she read the headline.

"What?! How did—" She scanned the paper. "How was I not told of this?!" She scanned the paper, furious. "Who wrote this?!" She began to tear through the paper.

"Luna," Twilight said quietly, looking at Luna. "Rainbow Dash was in the Wonderbolts."

"Rainbow Dash?" Luna flipped back to the front and looked through the names. "Oh, oh, my goodness, I..." Luna looked between the two again, her ears flattened. She set the paper down gently. "Pray forgive me. I knew not she was... I thought, perhaps..." She sighed. "I am deeply, truly sorry for your loss. Pray excuse my... my oversight."

Twilight whimpered. "You're okay."

* * *

Applejack finally made it through the meandering ponies and random craters and out of town. She began sprinting along the lone dirt road, hoping against hope. She slid to a halt at the gate and gasped, dropping her hat. It was as if the barn hadn't existed. All of it was gone. The only clues left of it were the bits of wood, glass, and apples which covered the disturbed ground. Applejack whimpered, put her hat on, and tread carefully around the debris.

"Applebloom?" she called out. "Big Mac? Granny Smith?" She strained her ears but heard only her echos from the hills and trees. She slowly made her way to the crater's edge and stared into its center. There was nothing left. Absolutely nothing. Applejack sat, or rather stumbled back onto her haunches, and looked around herself again. It was so still, so quiet. There wasn't so much as a bird chirping or a breeze making the leaves shudder. Applejack looked back at the cold, empty crater. Gone. All gone.

"A-Applebloom?" she croaked. "Big Mac? Granny Smi...?" She shakily took off her hat, placing it over her chest. She closed her eyes and tried holding it all in. She peeked at the crater through tears, and, with a sputter, she began to cry openly. Her hat slipped from her hooves and tumbled into the crater. She made a grab at it but fell, catching herself at the edge. Tears now mixed with the dirt and clung to her cheeks. She covered her face with her hooves, coughing and weeping.

"N-no... No, they c-can't be... They _can't_ be.. C-can't... No, no, no, no..."

A flurry of barks interrupted her grief. She looked up and saw Winona bounding towards her from the treehouse, her tail wagging. Applejack half smiled, wiping away some muddy tears from her face.

Winona nearly crashed into her, yipping all along the way. Applejack hugged and pet Winona, but she glanced around herself one last time. She looked at her dog, her smile gone. "Y-you're all that's left?" Winona licked her face happily, and Applejack hugged her again weakly.

"Applejack!"

Applejack snapped up and looked to the treehouse again. Applebloom was running towards her, followed by Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Winona barked once and ran to them. Nearly laughing in relief, Applejack stumbled upright and shakily walked over. Applebloom, herself in tears, jumped onto Applejack, hugging her tightly.

"Oh!" Applejack cried. "I'm so glad y'all're alright! I was afraid that those... those _things..._ " She felt Applebloom crying softly. She looked at the others, who wore defeated expressions. Even Winona quieted.

Sweetie Belle stepped forward, speaking quietly. "We... uh..." She pawed the ground. "We don't think that..."

Applejack nodded, a hot tear rolling down her cheek. "I know."

Scootaloo cleared her throat. "We were playing in the treehouse last night, and Winona came in whining, trying to find a place to hide. We didn't know what was going on, and then the first meteor hit. It was so loud and bright. We were about to leave and run to the house when..." She grimaced and looked at Applebloom.

"We were all too scared to do anything at first," Sweetie picked up, "but then we heard Princess Luna tell everypony to follow her. Scoots and I tried to get Applebloom to go, but she didn't want to. She was just... holding Winona and... crying."

Applejack pointed to the treehouse. "Y'all stayed up there?" The two nodded. "The _whole_ night?" They nodded again. Applejack shook her head. "Oh, you poor things." Applejack hugged Applebloom more tightly, and the other two joined. Everyone was quiet.

There was a soft gasp behind them, and Applejack looked at the gate. Rarity, who looked to have been crying herself, had stopped just in front of it. The newspaper was floating next to her, crumpled into a ball. She stared at the farm in horror. Applejack set Applebloom carefully on her back and began trotting over to Rarity, Scootaloo following. Sweetie zipped past both of them wearing a wide grin.

"Rarity! Rarity!" She hugged her sister's trembling leg, and Rarity bent down and hugged her quickly.

Rarity looked at Applejack grimly, pointing to the crater. "Is...?"

Applejack nodded her head solemnly. "Granny Smith and Big Mac." Applebloom stifled a sob and hugged her sister's neck. Rarity closed her eyes and muttered something. Applejack shakily took a breath. "What is it? What happened?"

Rarity sat down, holding her sister. "It's—" She stopped, glancing at Scootaloo quickly. She cleared her throat. "I-I don't know how to say it." Her eyes glistened. "It's... it's about _Loyalty."_

All at once, all too clearly, Applejack understood. "No," she breathed. "No, you d-don't mean...?" Rarity nodded once. Applejack took a step backward, shaking her head, her eyes on the balled-up paper. "No." Her lips trembled. "No, no, not her. D-damn it, no! No, not her!"

"Who?" a small voice asked.

Applejack and Rarity both looked at Scootaloo, who stood by herself. Her eyes darted between the two, desperate. "What happened?" she quietly asked again. "It's not about... not about _Rainbow Dash_... right?" She looked at Rarity. "R-right? It's not her, right?" She looked at Applejack, and her ears flattened. She grew quieter. "R-r-right? Sh-she's not dead, right?" Nopony replied. Scootaloo trembled and sat, her wings drooping. She stared at the far white clouds in the horizon, lost.


	16. Caves

**16**

 **Caves**

Gilda and Gabby were playing poker at a table in the small cafeteria. The door had not been opened since the blizzard a few days before. The two showed their hands, and Gabby's face lit up. She took the small pile of washers from the center of the table and added it to her own modest collection. Gilda, who was down to only a few, grumbled and put her cards in the discard pile.

Greta looked out to the hallway. "Should we open the door?"

"Huh?"

"You know, the big door leading outside."

"Why?"

Greta grabbed the cards and started shuffling. "I dunno. I haven't seen the sky in a while. Plus," she gestured above and around herself, "how else are we going to get fresh air?"

"I think we're fine. The miners or whoever would probably have put some sort of ventilation, especially in this elaborate of a mine."

Gabby shrugged, putting the cards in a neat pile. "Maybe they were too stingy to. That door might be all there is."

"Hm." Gilda began to worry slightly but put up a facade of nonchalance. "W-well—" She cleared her throat. "Well, I haven't noticed anything odd about the air so far, and it's been a while since it's been shut. I think we're fine."

"Alright," Gabby said, drumming her claws. "Well, what if it's stuck?"

Gilda took a deep breath. "Don't even say that."

"I'm serious!"

"Since when have you been this worried about anything?"

Gabby frowned. "Come on. Let's at least _check_ the door."

"Sure, whatever." Gilda stood, walking towards the hallway.

"Oh!" Gabby snapped a claw. "We better talk with Greta."

Gilda stopped, closing her eyes. "Ugh..."

"She _is_ in charge."

"Fine. Let's go get her then."

* * *

"That's actually a pretty good idea," said Greta, whom the two found was reading in her room.

"Told you," said Gabby. Gilda rolled her eyes.

"The snow might've melted by now," continued Greta, putting her book down. "Let's gather everyone to the door. Seeing normal springtime weather ought to lift their spirits. Hell, even just seeing something other than stone and lanterns might do us some good."

"Leave it to me!" proclaimed Gabby with a salute. She sped out of the room, and Greta chuckled a bit. She looked to Gilda, but she was already walking outside into the hallway. Greta opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself, sighing instead.

Everyone had congregated already to the door, chattering somewhat excitedly to themselves. Greta was right in front of the door, scanning the crowd. Another griffon stood ready at the door. Gilda had found a place near the back and tried to avoid Greta's gaze. Gabby then found Gilda and sat next to her, smiling. Not finding what she was searching for, Greta frowned. She looked at all of the griffons and cleared her throat.

"Alright. You all know what we're here for. Let's hope for some nice warm sunshine!" She looked to the griffon at the door and nodded. The griffon pulled on one of the crank's spokes. It didn't move. The griffon repositioned himself and heaved, but it didn't budge. Another stepped forward from the crowd and helped him, and then a third joined, but they could not cause the crank to turn. Several griffons began to murmur worriedly to themselves.

"C'mon!" Greta encouraged. "You've gotta get that going!"

"We're trying!" one said. "It ain't gonna go!"

Greta looked around worriedly, stuttering. "We just need more claws!" She leapt to them, grabbed ahold of a spoke herself, and the four again pulled and pushed on the crank. The metal door didn't so much as groan to acknowledge their efforts. Panting, the four stopped.

Greta turned to the other griffons. "Someone find some oil or something! Go! Hurry!" About half of the crowd vanished to different hallways and rooms. There was a steady trickle back, most bearing nothing. A few brought back small cans of cooking grease and the like, and they slathered the crank with it. Again, Greta and the other three wrestled with the door handle, grunting and muttering.

Finally, with a lurch, the crank began to turn. The four were launched in every direction, and the crowd had a collective gasp of relief. Congratulating one another, the four returned to work, slowly working the crank. When it finally stopped, they each took a spot at the door and tried to push it open. It didn't budge, and the four groaned in frustration.

Greta turned to the crowd, nervously laughing. "How about some help?" A few more griffons joined, each getting a spot on the door. Nothing happened. The crowd grew uneasy again.

"All together," one said. "One, two, three!" They all heaved at the door. "Again! One, two, three!" The door didn't move. "One, two, three!" Someone from the top lost their grip and tumbled down, knocking a few of the others over.

"It's no good!" Greta yelled angrily. "There's too much snow on the other side. It's pushing against us."

"So we're trapped?!" someone yelled. Immediately, the griffons began chattering anxiously, absentmindedly growing closer together.

Gabby nervously chuckled and looked at Gilda. "I guess I jinxed it." A flash of anger crossed Gilda's face, and Gabby fell silent.

A griffon, his voice wavering, walked over to Greta. "What do we do now?"

The griffons slowly hushed and looked at Greta. A palpable sense of fear filled the air. Greta was at a loss for words, looking between faces, opening and closing her mouth, almost speaking words before stopping. Her tail slowly curling underneath her, she crouched slightly, breathing quickly. She closed her eyes, muttering to herself. Gilda was about to try to help her when she sprang up, a look of desperate hope in her eyes.

"The caves!" she said. "I-I mean, the rest of the caves—the mines, the tracks! They must lead somewhere! There could be another exit! M-maybe one of them leads outside!" The crowd didn't seem convinced, trading worried glances and whispers. Greta's face fell, and she looked downwards.

"I think it's worth a shot," said Gabby, stepping forward.

Greta seemed to regain some confidence. A-alright! Uh, s-so what we can do is have those who can search help us." She began pacing, looking down. "Here's what we'll do. I-if we come to a fork, we'll split evenly. So, if there's two caves, we divide in half. Three caves, divide into three. We're bound to find an exit. When we do, w-we'll come back around and clear th-the door of snow." She looked at the crowd. "Yeah? Sound good?"

The general consensus seemed to be agreement, though there were plenty who looked doubtful.

"Okay," Greta said, her confidence noticeably waning again. "Meet by the mine entrance a-and bring as many lanterns a-as you can carry.

* * *

The large group Gilda and Greta were in around an hour before had whittled down to just four. They came to another fork in the cave and stopped.

Gilda huffed. "We're gonna run out of griffons before this thing runs out of damn caves."

"Well," one of the griffons said, "it can't be too much farther along, can it? I mean, these caves are starting to get real cramped."

"And cold," the other added.

"Yeah," Greta said. She shook her head. "Alright, let's get this over with. Gilda and I will take the left one. You two take the right." The first griffon saluted with a smirk and walked to their fork. His partner followed him, and Gilda and Greta walked to theirs.

"See you later," Greta said.

"Bye!" they heard one call back, already echoing.

Gilda sighed and began walking. "I just hope there aren't any more splits. This is getting frustrating."

"We'll be out soon enough," Greta reassured, catching up to her. "The griffons who dug these out would have went until they ran out of rock to dig."

"Or gold."

"Well..." Greta huffed. "Well, look." She stopped and shone her light on the ground. "There are still tracks for carts here. Why have tracks if this was a dead—"

The earth around them trembled, and the two fell over. Dust and small pebbles from above fell on them, and a great rumble echoed through the caves. Gilda thought she heard screaming. When it stopped just a few moments later, the two looked at each other in fear.

"Damn it," Gilda muttered. "Scared the feathers off me. I swear, if our cave collapsed..."

Greta's beak chattered. "W-what if it _did_ collapse?"

"Dunno," said Gilda coldly, "I guess we'd have to _dig."_

The two backtracked cautiously, keeping away from the walls and their voices low. When they realized they were back at the fork and the way was clear, they relaxed.

"Alrighty," Greta said, "not trapped. Whew." Her voice still shook somewhat. "Gah, I hate caves."

Gilda turned around and froze. "I think I know what collapsed." Their fork was fine, but the other seemed unusually dark. Holding her lantern aloft, she walked into the other pair's cave, Greta sticking close. Not too far from the split, a plethora of different-sized rocks blocked off the cave. Gilda's lantern made something glint, and she looked down. A pair of black paws stuck out from beneath the rubble, along with some broken glass and blood. They didn't move.

Greta saw too and gasped, dropping her lantern with a clatter. "Hey!" she yelled, running to the rocks. "Hey! Are you guys alri—"

Gilda grabbed Greta and held her beak shut. "What the _hell_ are you doing?" she whispered angrily. "Trying to get _us_ killed?"

Greta shoved Gilda away and stared at the rocks, breathing heavily. "H-hello?" she called again, more quietly. "Greg? A-are you still alive?" There was no answer. "Greg?" she said a bit louder. Nothing. Greta's knees shook, and she started to whimper. "Oh... o-oh... no..."

"C'mon, Greta," Gilda whispered. "We have to go."

"This was my fault."

"Greta," Gilda said, resting her lantern-laden claw over Greta's shoulder. "There's nothing we can do. We have to keep going."

Greta sniffed, picking her lantern up. "Okay."

They turned back and went to their fork of the cave. Greta hung her head, casting occasional glances behind herself. Neither spoke. The rails were still present on the ground, which Gilda kept an active eye on. The cave would sometimes get smaller, getting Gilda's hopes up, before growing in girth again.

The silence was unnerving, and it felt to Gilda as if her ears were starving for some sound other than of breathing and walking. After a few minutes, Gilda couldn't take it. "Maybe we finally got lucky," she said quietly. "We haven't hit a fork in a while."

Gilda looked to Greta but didn't see her. Quickly turning around, wondering if there had been a fork she hadn't seen, she saw Greta standing still just a few feet behind her. Greta set her lantern down haphazardly, making the flame inside shudder. She hung her head and tried to stifle sobs.

"Hey," Gilda said, "c'mon. We need to keep moving."

Greta shook her head slowly. "I c-can't."

Gilda sighed and began walking over to her. "You didn't know—"

"You were right," Greta said quietly. "This is all my fault." Her voice broke. "I'm such an idiot. I can't do anything right. I just stood there when Gruff was killed. I didn't do anything. I didn't talk to you at all. I didn't even realize until you told me."

"Greta—"

"A-and then," continued Greta, her voice slowly rising, "it was _my_ stupid idea to lead us here, to some forsaken mountain, because I read about it in some book. It was _my_ idea to send griffons to basically die in the cold for nothing." She looked at Gilda, tears streaming down her face. "I just killed those two then, in that cave-in! This damn bunker was my idea! Closing the door was my idea! And now we're all trapped! This stupid cave search was my idea! We don't even know if there's another way out! Where the hell even are we?! We're might all die in here, and it's all my fault!"

Greta stared at Gilda for a moment before collapsing on the ground, enveloped in quiet sobbing. Gilda stood stunned for a moment. She knew Greta would still be shaken about the cave-in, but she didn't think everything else was still weighing her down. Gilda cautiously walked over, setting her flickering lantern down. She sat next to Greta and put a claw on her back, rubbing it. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself. What would she say? That all of it _wasn't_ her fault? That only _some_ of it was?

"Look," began Gilda. Her thoughts stumbled, and she sighed. "With the whole Gruff thing... I don't blame you. We were all going through our own stuff then. It was stupid of me to think anyone was okay then, let alone you. And, with what's happened since then, don't guilt yourself so much. _None_ of us know what the hell's going on."

"Easy for you to say," Greta mumbled. "I can't just forget what I've done. You didn't do those things. I'm the one leading you all to die."

"That's not true," said Gilda before she could think it. Greta cried harder, mumbling incoherently. Gilda took a deep breath. "No one blames you for any of this, Greta."

"Th-that's just it, though," said Greta.

"Hm?"

"E-everyone keeps doing what I-I say, and it just..." She fought back a cry. "I get griffons killed. Why me? Why am I in charge?"

"I... I don't know," said Gilda defeatedly. "I guess no one else was in a right state of mind to lead."

"And I am?"

"Well, back at Griffonstone, yeah. Everyone followed you to the station."

Greta sniffed. "That just means I was the first to run."

Gilda was taken aback slightly, and words failed her. Greta was no longer sobbing, instead staring at her lantern, still sniffing occasionally. Gilda looked ahead at the pitch black cave. She sighed and stood up. "We'll find a way out of this, Greta. Get up. We gotta keep moving."

Greta quieted herself. She sniffed and stood wordlessly. She picked up her lantern with a shaky claw and nodded to Gilda. "Okay," she whispered finally.

After a few minutes of wordless walking, the cave widened drastically. Gilda cursed as their lights revealed another fork, this time with three equally foreboding choices. Greta whimpered.

"We don't have to split up," Gilda offered. "Pick one, and I'll go with—"

"No," Greta said with a shaky resolution. "I set up the stupid method, so I'm sticking to it."

"You sure?" Gilda asked. Greta hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright. I'll see you later then."

Gilda chose the leftmost cave, and Greta walked to the center one. Taking a deep breath, Gilda began her trek alone. The soft echo of Greta's footsteps almost faded away when they stopped.

"Gilda!"

Gilda's feathers stood on end, and her heart beat quickly. She turned around, fearing what had happened so quickly. "Greta?" she called, walking cautiously back to the fork. "Greta, are you alright?"

"M-my lantern went out," Greta said.

"Hold on, I'm coming."

When she emerged from her cave, Gilda saw a dejected Greta with a dead lantern.

"Sorry," Greta mumbled.

Gilda huffed. "Well, follow me. We'll go my way."

She no sooner took one step when her lantern flickered threateningly. The two stopped, gasping softly. "No, no, no," Gilda muttered to it, "don't you go out too. Don't you go out on me." After holding it still for a few moments, the flame returned to a steady burn. Gilda sighed in relief, and the two began walking again, slowly and carefully.

"We have to have been walking for over an hour," said Gilda. "How much farther do you think we have?"

"I dunno," said Greta. "The mountain isn't too wide. I thought we would've been outside by now."

Gilda saw her breath rise in front of her, and she got excited. "We must be close," she said. She began to walk faster, constantly searching for some outside light. The little flame in her lantern wavered, and she stopped and held her breath. It was shrinking, and she held the lantern as still as she could.

"No, no," she whispered, "come on..." The dying flame didn't heed her. Gilda muttered "no" louder and louder until she was left in darkness. "Damn it!" she yelled. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" She threw he lantern down, shattering its glass and making Greta jump. "Now how the hell are we gonna get out of here?"

"Let's just turn back," Greta said quietly. "Someone else probably found a way out."

"But what if _this_ is it? We can't go back now." Gilda felt around herself. "We'll just... uh... feel our way through, I guess." She looked ahead, then behind, and she forgot from where she came. "Damn it. Which way did we come from?"

"Uh," Greta grabbed Gilda's shoulder and motioned forward. "This is where we were headed."

"Thanks." Gilda took a step forward then stopped. "This isn't the way back to the bunker, right?"

"Y-yes. Wait, n-no. I mean..." Greta took a shaky breath. "Th-this way goes away from the bunker, w-where we were going in the first place."

"Alright," Gilda said. "Sorry, just had to check." Blindly, she resumed walking. Stepping on and around the broken lantern and internally scolding herself for doubting Greta, she cautiously went down the cave, and Greta followed close behind.

They didn't meet a cave wall for a while, which Gilda couldn't decide if it was good or bad. When she finally did, she gasped in spite of herself. She felt her way along closely with one claw, then one wing, then both wings outstretched on opposite sides of the wall. She could feel it getting chillier in the cave, but there was still no light from the outside. Her wings gradually grew closer to her sides as the cave grew smaller, but there were still rail tracks underfoot.

"Please don't let there be any more forks," Gilda couldn't help but mutter.

After traversing in pitch black through a particularly winding section of the cave, the two saw a faint light shining on a cave wall ahead of them. Both of them gasped and looked at each other. Gilda smiled and flew to the light, almost laughing. She turned one last corner and was at last greeted by snow and sunshine. A big smile graced her beak. She didn't care anymore it wasn't more a pleasant climate. They were free. Unable to contain herself, she flew up into the air, pumping her fists and doing loops.

"Yes!" Gilda cheered. "Yes! Woohoo! We did it! We're all free! Just wait 'til we tell every—" Her stomach dropped, and she landed back down with wide eyes. "... one. Oh, no." She looked to Greta, who hadn't moved since they came outside. She was looking far away at the snow and trees . Gilda snapped a claw in her face, and she jolted back to reality.

"S-sorry," she said. "I was just... thinking."

"Well," Gilda said, turning to look at the cave, "you'll have plenty of time to think when we're backtracking... all the way back... in pitch black." She closed her eyes, shook her head, and muttered, "Ah, damn it." She nudged Greta. "Ready?"

"Mhm," Greta nodded. Taking in the bright sunlight and fresh air one more time, Gilda reluctantly braved the darkness, and Greta followed after.

* * *

With so many forks and differing paths, trying to go away from the bunker without any light would have been a nightmare of guessing and memorization. Now, going the opposite way back to the bunker proper, Gilda and Greta only needed to go relatively straight—all of the caves and mines originated back there anyway. Gilda laughed at her own worry from before and even pointed this out to Greta, but she didn't say anything back.

After an hour of blind and quiet ambling, they finally found the familiar concrete walls and floors. Most everyone had returned already, and the atmosphere was noticeably happier. Gabby saw the two emerge and flew over excitedly.

"There you are!" she said, hugging the two. She looked between the two, beaming. "We got the door open!"

"What?" asked Gilda.

Gabby nodded and started walking. "Come on, come on! I'll show you!"

Gilda and Greta followed her, though still a bit stunned. Sure enough, the door was once again wide open, letting in sunshine and chilly air. The other griffons had gathered around it, chattering with both elation and relief.

"Ta da!" said Gabby with a flourish of a wing.

"How?" asked Gilda.

"My group and I actually found a way out. We flew all the way around the mountain, and we were able to dig out the door. Loads of snow—no wonder we couldn't push it open."

"How many were in your group at the end?" asked Greta.

"Five, including me. We had to knock on the door a lot to get the griffons inside to open it." Gabby laughed. "I ran right into my room and wrapped myself up in about five blankets."

"We found a way out, too," said Greta, "but we didn't even think to try finding the door."

"What would we have done?" asked Gilda. "It was just the two of us." Gilda looked to Gabby, but she had left, conversing with others. Gilda turned back to Greta, who sat and hung her head.

"Hey," Gilda said, sitting next to her. "You alright?"

Greta nodded. "I'm fine."

Gilda patted her on the back. "Good." She gestured to the cafeteria. "Let's get something to eat."


	17. Rain

**17**

 **Rain**

After weeks of scouting, Thunderhead had finally located where they supposed the griffon weapon to be—set inside a hill at the southernmost end of the Griffish Isles. Rainbow and Soarin' were tasked to sneak into and secure the cannon amidst the backdrop of a thunderstorm and air battle, launching a flare when they finished. They were minutes away from their last briefing and were presently equipping themselves in the now empty locker room. Without the rest of the Wonderbolts, it was eerily quiet.

Rainbow hadn't stopped thinking about that night. Every day, for almost two weeks, her subconscious replayed it over and over in her mind, visualizing every moment from every angle, not allowing her to forget even a wisp of cloud. The nauseating guilt never left her, and she ate little because of it. Images would flash sporadically in her mind of blood or loose feathers or talons or dogtags. She closed her eyes, trying to banish the thoughts and clear her head, but focusing on them only made them more sour. An overwhelming feeling of ineptitude blanketed these memories. If only she had been faster, if only she had flown harder, if only she had not hesitated, if only...

Rainbow felt the sutures running alongside her face. Those three cuts would soon become scars, scars that will never let her forget Gwen. Her mind and heart were at odds with each other ever since that night. Gwen admitted to killing Princess Celestia, and she even gloated about taking her wings and horn; Rainbow's mind justified her actions. However, she felt sick whenever she looked at her own hooves, and she imagined them crushing the small griffon's throat; Rainbow's heart despised her actions. Just like the argument with Twilight, Rainbow _knew_ she was in the right, but she felt awful in spite of it. She couldn't forget those last few moments. The sounds Gwen made, her flailing legs and wings, her face, her eyes, her _eyes_...

Rainbow shook her head again, desperate to think of anything else. Her wet eyes landed on her new armor in front of her. Her mind ran along, glad for the respite. She and Soarin' had agreed to indefinitely retire the Wonderbolts' uniform out of respect for and in mourning of their fallen, requesting new armor. Soarin' decided a week after the fact to dye his mane a sooty black and coat an ashen grey, even obscuring his cutie mark; Rainbow couldn't help but do the same the following day. It just felt right.

Since there were only two of them now, everyone at Thunderhead soon referred to them by names instead. Rainbow didn't mind. She and Soarin' received their new armor a few days later. It bore the same pattern as before, but was dark and light grey instead of blue and gold.

Rainbow held her helmet and looked around the room. She sighed, somewhat calm now but still on her train of thought. "Why do you think we haven't been reassigned to a different locker room yet? It's been weeks. This place..." She trailed off, glancing at Soarin'. He shrugged but didn't say anything, and Rainbow took the cue. They slowly resumed slipping on their armor in silence. Soarin' went to his locker and grabbed the orange flare launcher from inside.

"Sorry," Rainbow muttered. "Shouldn't've brought it up."

Soarin' shuffled his hooves a bit. "Dash, I..." He looked down and furrowed his brows. He shook his head and slung the orange tube onto his back. "Never mind."

Rainbow tilted her head, looking at him curiously. "Okay then." She turned towards the door. "I guess we should head out now. Final briefing and whatnot." He nodded curtly and left somewhat hurriedly. She shrugged and followed him out.

* * *

Rainbow felt oddly at peace once she started to fly again. She followed Soarin', who was trailing behind the diversionary force. She was able to glide for long stretches of time, buoyed along by the air currents the other pegasi created. With her visor up, the brisk night air helped in keeping her awake. She scanned below the clouds and noticed the ocean was now replaced by tall hills and the beginnings of a mountain range, all covered in seemingly endless pine.

Soarin' looked behind at Rainbow and gestured towards the ground. She nodded, flipped down her visor, and the two slowly descended towards the forest. She looked up, watching the flock of pegasi grow smaller and smaller against the starlit night. Once they had landed, she could barely distinguish them from the sky.

"Wow," she said in awe.

"Yeah, I can hardly see 'em." Soarin' landed and trotted in the same direction as the pegasi above. "That's good news for us—means the griffons won't be able to see 'em either."

"Not _exactly_ what I meant," Rainbow muttered. She trotted after him, weaving through the towering pines.

The other pegasi started gathering clouds together, obscuring the stars above from view. Within a few minutes, the ground below was engulfed in near darkness. Softly at first, it began to rain. Little pitter-patters surrounded Rainbow as rain hit the pine needles, and she began to smell the rain's earthy aroma. The tranquility didn't last long. The sprinkling turned into a shower and then into a downpour. Scars of blue-white light split the air, and deep rumblings became constant.

"Remember," Soarin' said, his voice barely audible over the din, "what we're looking for is a small hatch, about a yard wide."

"And once we clear it out, we just launch the flare?" She gestured to his back. "Won't that attract the griffons too?"

"I don't think the griffons are gonna be concentrated on the ground that much. Besides, even if they do notice, a lot more pegasi will." He looked ahead. "The hatch shouldn't be much farther, less than a quarter mile away. They said it was buried in one of the hills. I bet we'll actually start seeing a barrel poking out soon enough."

They continued walking up and around the trees and hills. After a few minutes, Soarin' looked up at the sky. Rainbow, catching a flash of lighting, saw a gigantic fur-ball illuminated in the sky, pegasi and griffons duking it out among the clouds.

"Good," Soarin' said. "The distraction's working."

"So far," Rainbow said distantly. She could see figures falling from the sky with each flash.

They walked for a few minutes more before Soarin' spoke again. "C'mon! Where's that damn hatch?" As soon as he said it, the ground opened a few feet in front of him, three griffons flying out at top speed. The hatch slammed shut with a resounding clang.

"Well," Rainbow said. "There ya go." Soarin' went up to the hatch, Rainbow catching up behind. She squinted at the metal disk and noticed it had been marred by scratches, dents, and was coated in rust. She looked at Soarin'. "How's it already so banged up?"

He shrugged. "Don't ask me. C'mon, let's get this thing open." They each grabbed a side and lifted. To Rainbow's surprise, it opened without so much as a creak. She saw a dimly lit tunnel plummeting downwards into blackness. Soarin' hopped inside, descending slowly, and Rainbow followed in after him, shutting the hatch quietly.

When they reached the bottom, they were greeted by a metal door reminiscent of the hatch they had just entered through. Soarin' took off his helmet and pressed his ear against the metal. He waited a few moments, then, nodding to Rainbow, put his helmet back on and slowly cracked the door open.

Rainbow could see a rather large but lone griffon in the room. The wall in front of him was covered in consoles with lights, switches, and dials. On the wall opposite of them was an open door, but it was much larger, and it was very thick, as though it were made of five metal doors sandwiched together. The griffon's helmet lay on the console nearest to him, accompanied by what Rainbow smelled to be a mug of coffee. The griffon seemed to be typing something, but they couldn't see what.

Rainbow realized with a lurch she would have to kill again. Greta's eyes flashed in her mind, and she shook her head, cursing herself. Why was she being this way? Why couldn't she get over this? Why was it so hard for her? Rainbow tried to silence her feelings and listen to reason. She knew she what she was doing was right. Gwen killed Celestia, and this griffon in front of her had shelled who knows how many more ponies. This war had to be fought. It had to be fought so it could one day end. What she was doing was _right_.

"You ready?" Soarin' whispered, knocking Rainbow out of her thoughts. She nodded, a bit reluctantly at first, but then with conviction. Soarin' took a deep breath, kicked the door open, and charged.

Soarin' slammed the griffon against the consoles. The griffon, momentarily dazed, grabbed his throat and threw him aside. Rainbow came and punched the griffon in the beak. Grabbing the mug, Soarin' smashed it on the griffon's face. It shattered into hundreds of green fragments, sending the griffon screeching and reeling backwards. Rainbow leapt onto him and held him down. Blindly, the griffon kicked Rainbow up into the air, causing her to hit the ceiling. Soarin' went to tackle him, but the griffon kicked him away.

The griffon shook his head, wiping away the coffee from his face. His eyes now red, he dove after Rainbow, pinning her to the wall. Soarin' came from behind, grabbing the griffon's claws. He held them behind the griffon's back, pulling him away from Rainbow and exposing his chest. Rainbow leapt to drill the griffon's chest, but the griffon, using Soarin' as a support, hopped and bucked her in the head, sending her flipping.

The griffon ran backwards, hitting Soarin' against the wall near the large door, knocking the wind out of him. Rainbow, shaking away stars in her eyes, flew towards the griffon and tackled him against the same wall. The griffon, seeing they were near the door, grabbed Rainbow by the throat and hurled her outside.

Once she had her balance in the air, Rainbow couldn't help but look around the room she was in now. It was enormous, far larger than even the gala hall in Canterlot. The room reminded her of a hallowed-out slice of pie, with her at the crust's end. The ceiling, which was lit dimly by a light bulb every dozen or so feet, was uniformly flat. Behind her, where the door was, the wall curved downwards to the floor. The floor then angled upwards, running along the walls until they all met at a single point at the far wall.

In the middle of the room was suspended a colossal metal cylinder which reminded her of a telescope aimed backwards. With a start, she realized _this_ was the cannon. It had to have been over fifty yards long, she guessed. On the thinner end, the cannon was attached by an equally large hinge, and the muzzle seemed flush with the far wall. The thicker end was connected to the opposite wall with what looked to be large rails, two sets running horizontal and one set vertical. Suddenly, with a lurch, it began to move away from her, slowly clicking along the tracks.

Remembering the fight, she looked back at the open door. The griffon was attempting to shut the door, but unbeknownst him, Soarin' had regained himself, and he tackled the griffon from behind through the doorway and into the chamber. Rainbow flew towards them, aiming for the griffon's head. The griffon ducked downwards, and Soarin' continued to fly forward. The griffon made a loop and headed back towards the door.

Soarin', seeing Rainbow, pulled to the side, just missing her as she passed. She corrected her trajectory and tackled the griffon, pinning him to the wall just below the door. She kicked him just below the chest and began punching him without hesitation. The griffon pushed off of the wall and head-butted her. Rainbow grabbed onto his head, and the two started spinning in the air, clawing and punching one another.

The griffon managed to land a kick on Rainbow's stomach, and she curled up, clutching it. As the griffon turned around, Soarin' grabbed him from behind, pinning the griffon's wings to his back, and flew towards the slowly moving gun's muzzle and away from the door and Rainbow. The griffon wrestled free of the grip and elbowed Soarin' in his visor, clutching his elbow with a yell. The griffon managed to kick Soarin' in the chest, making him spin and hit the far wall.

Rainbow caught her breath and flew towards the griffon once more. The griffon turned around and, upon seeing Rainbow, flew towards her. Right before they met, he swerved and stuck out his front leg, and the limb caught her throat. She began spinning backwards in the air, struggling again to breath. The griffon stretched out and clutched her tail, turning and slamming her against the gun barrel alongside them. Her head suddenly felt full of thousands of pins. She tried to escape the grip, kicking at the griffon's claws, so he turned around and slammed her against the other side. She could barely keep her eyes open.

"Dash!" Soarin' yelled. He flew at the griffon, his right hoof pulled back. The griffon smiled and threw Rainbow down to the ground far below them. Soarin' dove, slowly catching up to Rainbow. He grabbed around her stomach and pumped his wings hard, missing the ground by inches. The massive gun continued to slowly clink into place. Behind him, he heard a claw swipe at his head. In one swift movement, he pitched downward, holding Rainbow close to himself, and tumbled on the ground. The griffon overshot and hit a far wall, now dazed.

"Dash," Soarin' said, "are you alright?" She muttered something and shook her head. A loud clunk echoed in the cavelike chamber—the gun had finally settled. Soarin' picked Rainbow up and quickly took flight again, speeding towards the door to the control room. Out of the corner of his eye, the griffon raced along the wall. Soarin' cut him off, landing inside and kicking the griffon in his beak, sending him back down.

He gently set Rainbow down, taking care not to hit her head on anything. He turned and faced the large door. With some exertion, Soarin' pushed against it until it hit the wall with a clang. A split second later, a second clang sounded from the other side, and the door began to open again. Soarin', now using the opposite wall as a brace, pushed back against the door until it shut again, and he hastily wrestled with its lock.

The griffon began pounding on the other side, saying words Soarin' never heard. The door clicked, and Soarin' backed away from it. A moment later, a deafening bang shook the entire building. Soarin' staggered, feeling as if his eyes were shaking too. Regaining his balance, he stared at the door. There wasn't a sound after that.

Soarin' stood for a moment, slowly becoming aware of the bruises and cuts he had sustained. With a jolt, he remembered Rainbow. Cursing himself, he turned around, her limp figure worrying him. He crouched down, rolling her on her side. He flipped her visor up, took his helmet off, bent down to her face, and listened. After a tense moment, he heard her breathe, and he quietly thanked Celestia. He shook her a bit, trying to wake her up, but she was completely unconscious.

He put his helmet back on, his wings and legs tingling from the adrenaline easing away. He walked a little away from Rainbow towards the consoles lining one of the walls. He began the task of trying to make sense of it all. There were rows and rows of switches, dials, gauges, slides, and lights. He chuckled to himself. "Would it've killed them to label these things?"

One section of the panels was raised higher than the rest. Hoping for the best, he hovered over a few feet to see what it had for him. A gigantic screen shone at him, showing a green vector rendition of Equestria. He could make out the Griffish Isles in the top right corner and a star in the center of the map, which he took to be Canterlot. There were smaller squares where towns and cities were.

Two horizontal and vertical lines crossed where Fillydelphia was, and he wondered with a shudder if the shell had already hit. He noticed Apploosa and other newer towns in southern Equestria weren't present. A thin outline reminding him of a pie slice was on the map. Its tip extended outwards from the Griffish Isles, and its curved edge went as far west as Canterlot. He didn't know what it meant at first, but then it hit him; that was the cannon's range.

Something else caught his eye. He looked above the screen and saw a small number three painted in white. He landed, now confused by this number. He looked around for some context. Perhaps this was the third screen, or the third raised station. When he saw no such things, he walked up and down the consoles, looking over them all. The one thing he could find of note was an intercom near the screen. As he looked at it, he noticed a dial with the numbers one, two, four, and five on them. He only had to think for a moment before he put the pieces together. There wasn't one cannon. There were five.

Remembering the flare launcher he had in the first room, he ran towards the door leading to the hatch. Grabbing the flare, he flew up, opened the hatch to the torrent of rain, and saw the fur-ball had moved much farther away from him. He jumped out of the hole and set up the launcher. He aimed it towards the sky, pulled the string with his mouth, and a brilliant purple streak shot out.

Suspended high above him was a bright purple ball, gently falling down towards the forest again. Soarin' stayed by the hatch, blinking in the rain, waiting for ponies to come and help him. He craned his neck and saw a group separate themselves from the fight and fly towards him. With a clarifying lightning flash, he knew they were friendlies. Soarin' flew back down the hole to get Rainbow. Biting her back collar, he carefully pulled her out of the bunker to the surface and waved down the incoming six pegasi. After a brief exchange, the pegasi relieved Soarin' of his flare launcher, and Soarin' carried Rainbow back to Thunderhead.

* * *

Rainbow was greeted by a bright light when she awoke. She was in a bed at the hospital wing but still wearing her uniform. She saw someone at the side of her bed. Blinking away her tiredness, she realized it was Soarin', who was resting his head. He too wore his gear from the mission.

Rainbow softly nudged Soarin' with a hoof. He jerked up but smiled upon seeing her. "Oh, good. You're awake." He yawned, resting his head again. "How're you feeling?"

"A little sore, I guess, but that's normal. How long was I out for?"

"I dunno, not long. We just got back a few minutes ago."

She smiled. "Thanks for, y'know, swooping in and saving me there."

Soarin' chuckled. "No problem."

"So, uh," she cleared her throat, "everything went alright then? Kinda blacked out after we got back in the room."

"I think so. I told the pegasi who responded to the flare about the other cannons, and I think everything's alright."

"Wait, _cannons?_ As in more than one?"

"Yep. They had five, apparently." He stretched his wings. "The doc looked you over once I brought you back here, and—"

"You flew me here? By yourself?"

Soarin' nodded, blushing somewhat. "The doc said you were alright..." he yawned again, "but he wanted to monitor you until you woke up."

Rainbow smirked. "And you wanted to monitor me too, huh?"

He blushed harder and laughed nervously. "Uh, heh, I was just, uh, worried... was all."

She smiled. "Well," she tapped her front hooves together, "am I good to go, or...?"

"I guess so. Lemme run and get the doc." He stood, stretched again, and walked out of the room, returning a minute later with a maroon pegasus in medical garb.

The doctor checked her eyes, shining a flashlight into each one. "Have you anything to complain about? Ringing ears, dizziness, blurred vision...?"

Rainbow smiled. "Nope."

The doctor nodded. "Good, good." He examined her wings and ribs, consulting a few x-rays on the adjacent wall. He checked some items off of his clipboard, nodded again, and cleared his throat. "You're free to go, Miss Dash." Rainbow leapt out of bed. The doctor turned to Soarin'. "And are you sure _you're_ okay'?"

Soarin' nodded. "Can't complain. Thanks, doc!" He put a wing over Rainbow, and the two walked abreast out of the room. "D'you think the mess'll let us have some pie before the debrief?" he asked her. "I've been starving for some pie."

Rainbow laughed and nudged him playfully. "Are you ever _not?"_


	18. Lost

**18**

 **Lost**

"Are you going to join us, Gilda?"

The griffons had all gathered in the small cafeteria. A culinarily-inclined griffon had created a warm and hearty stew, and the atmosphere of the room was cheerful and cozy. Gabby sat with two open seats next to her, and she looked at Gilda expectantly.

"Yeah," Gilda said, "in a bit. Have you seen Greta?"

Gabby looked up in thought before shaking her head. "Not recently."

Gilda scoffed. "She's probably in our room. I'll go get her."

Gabby shrugged and slurped some of her stew. "Alright, but tell her to hurry up. This stuff's amazing."

"Will do," Gilda said with a laugh. She walked out the doors and down the hallway. Passing the other numbered bedrooms, she was surprised how much cooler it was outside the cafeteria. The concrete and metal encapsulating the griffons were uninviting but safe from the outside. She turned a corner, and some of the lights flickered as Gilda passed underneath. She passed a few more doors until she came to number five.

Gilda opened the door to find the room empty. She and her stomach groaned. "Damn it, Greta. Where are you?" Slightly irritated, she turned to leave, but something fluttered on the desk opposite the beds. She walked back inside, puzzled. It was Greta's scarf. Gilda picked it up, and a piece of paper fell out from within the scarf's folds. Setting the scarf on the table, Gilda unfolded the paper and read it.

 _Gilda_

 _You might be wondering where I am. I wish I could say I knew. Maybe by now I'm somewhere where I'm happy._

Gilda's heart dropped as she realized what the note was. "No," she breathed. "This can't... This isn't... No, no, no..."

 _I'm sorry. All I ever did was disappoint. I've made too many mistakes. I've gotten griffons killed. I wasn't there for you when you needed me. You'll all be far better off without me._

Tears started to pool in Gilda's eyes, and her claws trembled. The note, too, became shaky in its writing.

 _Don't be sad. I don't blame you. It's not your fault. I just can't do this anymore. I can't. Have anyone else be the leader. I hate leaving like this, but I don't see another way. There are a lot of griffons who have hated me ever since it started snowing. And I agree. I don't like me. Not at all._

Gilda began to cry quietly, and she sat on her haunches, muttering curses at herself. Taking a shaky breath, she forced herself to finish the note.

 _I know what I'm doing. I don't care if the cold or the Pride takes me. I just want to be gone._

 _I wish you all the best of luck._

 _Greta_

Gilda stared at the name numbly. She wanted to cry but couldn't find the voice. She took the scarf and wrapped it around her neck. With quivering claws, she placed the note back on the table.

"Greta," she finally mumbled. "I thought everything was okay." She sat in silence, trying to process it all. With a sudden burst of energy, Gilda sprang up and flung open the door. She tore through the narrow hallway, half flying, half running. She ran along the wall at the corner, trying to maintain her speed.

She shoved open the cafeteria doors, startling a few nearby griffons. She panted, trying to keep her tears at bay. "Greta's gone!" she shouted. Many griffons popped their heads up in confusion and looked at her. She flew up a few feet. "Greta's gone!"

"Gone?" Gabby stood and flew to Gilda. "What do you mean, gone?"

"She..." Gilda shook her head, still unable to believe it. "She left a note. A suicide note."

Gabby's eyes widened. "Suicide...?" The other griffons now understood, and the room was quickly abuzz with confused chatter. Gabby motioned Gilda to the side of the room, and the two landed. "What did it say?" Gabby asked in a hushed voice. "The note? Did she..." She grimaced. "Did she say how?"

Gilda fought to keep tears at bay. "Sh-she said she didn't care if the cold o-or the Pride takes her. She j-just ran away." She limply held up Greta's scarf. "She left this w-with the note."

Gabby sighed, shaking her head. "Well, then, there's a chance she's still alive."

"Not if the Pride's got her!"

"Don't give up on her just yet!" Gabby said. Gilda sat, clutching the scarf tightly, and Gabby sighed. "Listen. Let's think this through, alright? Um..." She sat, drumming her claws on the floor. "Think... think..." She snapped a claw and pointed behind herself. "Well, we know she had to have gone through the caves. If she used the door, someone would've seen her. Do you remember the way you two took to get out when the door got stuck?"

"U-uh..." Gilda racked her brain for a moment. Most of what she remembered was Greta tearfully tearing herself down, and she winced. She concentrated, trying to filter those moments out. "I-I think I could. If I see the forks and all, I think so."

"Good. If we're lucky, maybe Greta just got herself lost in the caves."

Gilda frowned. "How the _hell_ is that any better?!"

"Becau—" Gabby's face fell. "I guess it's not."

Gilda glanced around herself. "W-we need to get going, though. I-I don't know how long it's been, and the longer we—"

"I know, I know," Greta said. She flew up and whistled. The room quickly fell silent at the echoing shrill. "Alright, listen up! Greta went through the caves. We need some of you to go through them all, checking that she didn't get lost in them, and some others need to follow me and Gilda outside."

An elderly griffon scoffed. "And why in Grover's good name should we?"

"She would for you!" Gabby barked. "Any one of you!" No one spoke up, but a few other griffons mumbled. Gilda flew next to Gabby, now sharing some of Gabby's anger, and Gabby continued. "Have you forgotten already who led us out of Griffonstone and to this bunker, who organized us and kept us alive?" Most griffons were abashed by her words, but some others scoffed. Gilda opened her mouth to tell them off, but Gabby put a claw on her chest, stopping her. "Alright then. You've made your voice heard. Those who want to help us find our missing friend, come with me and Gilda. Those who can't be bothered, why not go and preen yourselves?"

At once, all save a third stepped forward, from children to elderly. The rest stood awkwardly, looking at one another. As the volunteers walked over to Gabby and Gilda, a few others flew over and joined them. Those remaining turned their attention back to their stews in hushed conversations. Gilda, looking at the volunteers, could feel her eyes begin to water again, and she closed them and turned away. She felt a gentle claw on her shoulder and looked up.

Gabby smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry, Gilda. She couldn't have been gone long. It's a full moon. It's hardly even snowing. We're all looking. We'll find her." With just a moment's hesitation, Gabby hugged Gilda, and Gilda finally allowed herself to cry quietly.

* * *

"Damn it, not that one either."

Gilda backtracked through another fork, brushing by a few volunteers who were to follow her and Gabby outside. She peered down the other branch, lantern in claw, and attempted to connect its minute details with her scattered memory. Her head had long since began throbbing. Her wings, knees, and ankles tingled with shots of adrenaline. Her breathing became shallow and quick.

"I don't know," she said, "I don't know. All these caves look the same."

"Gilda," Gabby said, walking to her and putting a claw on her shoulder. "Breathe. You can't focus if you don't breathe."

"Shut up," Gilda muttered. "I'm trying, alright?" She looked again at the cave's walls and thought she remembered a certain crack in it. "It's this one."

"You said that four forks ago," one griffon said. Gilda screwed her eyes shut. Gabby gave the griffon a mean glare, and she hushed.

"Go on," Gabby encouraged. "Let's go."

"Please be this one," Gilda whispered.

After a few more minutes of walking, they came across another fork. Gilda's eyes lit up. The right path was collapsed. "I remember this one!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing. Looking at the rock-packed fork, a pang of guilt shot through Gilda. "Oh," she mumbled. "This one."

"Lead on," Gabby said.

A nervous anticipation filled Gilda as she stepped over shards of a broken lantern and vaguely remembered her blind amblings. Gradually, she could see her breath rise more and more prominently in front of herself. Finally, a pale light shone from the end of the cave. Unable to contain herself, Gilda flew to the exit, and Gabby and the rest followed suit.

Gabby was right. The full moon shone brilliantly, making the snow around them seem to glow. It was snowing, but the snowflakes themselves were bigger than bits and fell softly around them. It was still cold, but not as cold as Gilda had feared. The group set down their lanterns and turned to Gabby and Gilda.

"Well, uh," Gabby said. "What do we do when we find her?"

Gilda shrugged. "It's not like we have a signal."

"What about a call?"

Gilda shook her head. "Not if there's a chance of the Pride around." She turned to the rest. "Try to separate yourselves about a mile apart and fan out. Come back when you think you've searched enough." She sighed. "Hopefully by morning we'll have found her."

* * *

Gilda debated between flying low and calling Greta's name and flying high to see more of the ground, eventually settling for a cycle of sorts between the two. The fluffy snowflakes did not do much to impede her save for visibility. There were more trees and rocks and all sorts of hiding spots in-between the mountains than she remembered, and she couldn't focus on one spot for long in case she missed Greta elsewhere. Feeling overwhelmed, she forced herself to slow down and look thoroughly. Her thoughts, however, managed to slip away from her.

Of all the ways to go, Gilda couldn't help but think Greta's choice was relatively peaceful. She left without saying any goodbyes, which doubtless saved some grief on her end. She went somewhere where she could be alone with her thoughts and the beautiful moonlit snow, somewhere away from the world from which she wanted to escape. The cold would imperceptibly take her, breath by breath, step by step. She would be cold for just a short while, then soon would feel nothing, even warm from what Gilda had heard. Her body would gradually slow down, and she would simply fall asleep in the snow. Greta wouldn't even know she had died.

Yet, Gilda feared, perhaps it wasn't the cold which took Greta. The Pride, had they been patrolling the area, would have found her, and Gilda didn't want to think of what they would do to her. The Pride surely saw them as traitors not only to them but also to griffonkind. Greta would be lucky to die at that point.

Gilda felt sick. She knew how dark one's thoughts could wander, but she herself never fathomed to end it all. How dark a place was Greta's heart at? If Gilda even found her, how could she possibly help? Greta never bothered to say anything—perhaps for good reason. Maybe it was beyond Gilda's capabilities to help her. Her heart managed to sink even further. What if she found Greta, but Greta refused to come back? What then? She couldn't just leave her to die, could she?

Maybe she could talk Greta out of it. Somehow. Gilda sighed. She was barely able to haggle prices in Griffonstone, let alone talk down someone from... suicide. Even thinking the word left a bitter taste in Gilda's mouth. That decision was too big, too final, to be easily persuaded to stop. Gilda felt awful, and she hoped beyond hope it didn't come to that. Greta's death would be her fault, even more so than it was now, if she couldn't convince her to live.

"Oh," Gilda muttered to herself, "why did you have to do this?"

* * *

Gilda spotted something dark in the snow below, and her heart leapt. "Greta?!" She dove, closing the gap quickly. She hovered over the snow's surface and froze there. The figure was face down and unmoving, a thin layer of snow atop it. "Gre..." Gilda breathed. Her legs and knees tingled. She slowly hovered downwards above the figure. She almost didn't want to check. What if it was her? She outstretched a claw and laid it on the figure's shoulder. She flinched at how stiff it was. She closed her eyes and heaved the figure onto its back, the fresh snow crunching under its weight. Holding her breath, she opened her eyes.

It wasn't Greta. Gilda relaxed, nearly falling out of the air. He was someone from the Pride. Gilda took a deep breath and looked around. Of course this griffon wasn't Greta, she thought. There weren't any tracks around here. Looking back at the griffon, she couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry for him. Did someone look for him, too, but wasn't able to find him? Or did no one bother? Both sounded horrid to Gilda. "Poor bastard," she said. Shaking her head, she flew back up and resumed scanning the snow, hoping to find something moving.

* * *

There was nothing. _Nothing_. The blank snow below was pristine. The whole mountainside seemed to be asleep. Nothing moved. No sign of Greta. No trails leading anywhere. Gilda stopped calling Greta's name; her hope drained every time she said it. The moon had traveled a fair distance in the sky. Gilda thought about turning back twice now, but something within her kept her going.

"Is this the day I lose her?" Gilda croaked. "Will I ever find her? Where is she? Where is she? Where...?" She slowed down, eventually hovering in place. She scanned the ground again. Nothing. Her heart sank further into her stomach.

"This is all my fault," she said to herself. "I did this to her. I made her think this was the only way." She pulled at the feathers on her face. "Why? Why, why, why, _why, why?!"_ She was wracked in sobs now, starting to fall out of the sky. "Why am I like this?! All I ever do is drive everyone away! I'm such an idiot!"

Realizing she had lost around half her altitude, she shook her head and climbed back up. She looked down again. Nothing. Hot tears grew cold on her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Greta. I'm so, so sorry." Feeling hollow, she turned around and began flying back to the bunker.

A sharp but choppy caw echoed around Gilda. She whirled around, expecting to find a group of the Pride somewhere, but she saw nothing. There was a second caw, and Gilda realized it came from below her. Wide-eyed, she dove down, not knowing where it came from. Her eyes darted from mound to drift to pine to rock, but she saw nothing. There was a third cry, weaker now, just below her. She stopped, breathing quickly. Right below her, there was what looked to be a frosted, trembling maroon carpet near a grove of pines. A head poked out, looking up at her. Gilda's heart pounded. It was her.

"Greta!"

Gilda dove the rest of the way, hovering in front of Greta. Greta looked at her with a pained face. She squinted against the cold, shivering violently. Her beak chattered loudly, and her breath rose in short, quick puffs. "Gilda," she said softly.

"Greta," Gilda repeated. She undid Greta's scarf and quickly wrapped it around Greta's neck.

"I-I-I'm sorry," Greta said in a raspy voice.

"Damn it," Gilda said, "how the hell are we gonna get you back?" An idea sprung to her mind, and she landed in front of Greta. She turned around, lowering herself. "Alright, hop on my back."

"G-Gilda—"

"I'm not going to argue with you! Get on!" Greta hesitated for a moment, then shakily clambered onto Gilda's back. She weakly grabbed around Gilda's chest and burrowed herself in Gilda's feathers and fur. Gilda wasn't prepared for how frigid Greta would be. Shuddering, Gilda leapt into the air again, and Greta nearly lost her grip. Slowing down to an easy pace, Gilda started flying back toward the bunker. Her wings and knees still tingled with adrenaline.

Greta cleared her throat. "I-I didn't mean for anyone t-to come look for me."

"I know."

"I didn't mean t-to put you through a-all this."

Gilda opened her mouth to snap at Greta—of course she and the others would have searched for her, grieved over her if they couldn't find her—but she held her tongue. Greta didn't need scolding. Gilda sighed. "I know you didn't."

"I'm so sorry, G-Gilda." Greta started to weakly sob. "I didn't want this. I'm so _stupid,_ a-and a coward—"

"No," Gilda said, "you're not stupid. You're not stupid, or a coward, or weak, or selfish, or worthless, or _whatever_ bad thing you think you are. You're _Greta_. You're _you_." Gilda thought for a moment. "You've been leading us the best you can all this time. You found the bunker, not anyone else. You took charge at Griffonstone when no one else would or could. Griffons make mistakes. Don't think you're terrible just because you're just as normal as any one of us."

"B-but that's j-just it. I _can't_ lead a-anymore. I _c-can't_. I can't deal with th-this anymore."

"Then I'll deal with it," Gilda said without thinking. "I'll take charge."

"R-really?" Greta's wearied and hopeful voice tore at Gilda's heart.

"Of course I will."

Greta sniffed. "Th-thank you."

They flew in silence for a while. The snow clinging to Greta melted quickly, and the cold water uncomfortably ran down Gilda's sides. After a half hour, the snowfall thinned. Gilda overestimated her and the adrenaline's strengths, and her flying began to slow, her flight path nosing up and down occasionally. Her wings ached, but she tried her best to ignore them. Greta gradually became warmer, and her grip strengthened slightly. Gilda soon saw the familiar mountain with its cave lit by lanterns. She smiled.

"Almost there," Gilda said.

Greta nodded. "I'm s-sorry," she whispered.

Gilda sighed. "You're okay. I'm just so glad I found you. I was afraid I'd never see you again."

"I'm so sorry".

Gilda opened her mouth again but stopped herself. She couldn't ask that, shouldn't, but she needed to know. "Why didn't you tell anyone, Greta? Why didn't you tell me?"

Greta said nothing for a while. Then, very quietly, "No one asked."

* * *

Once word spread that Greta had been found, the search party quickly returned one by one. Gilda greeted each, thanking them for helping, and Greta, wrapped in blankets and sitting next to her, apologized to each profusely. Eventually, Gilda walked Greta to their room with a wing over her, both not speaking. Gilda opened the door for Greta, and she sheepishly walked in. Greta sat on the edge of her bed, her beak still chattering a little. Gilda took the note in her claws and glanced at Greta. Greta looked meekly between her and it and then at the floor. Gilda ripped up the note, to Greta's visible surprise, and she threw it all in the garbage. She hopped up on the bed and sat next to her.

Gilda sighed, laying a claw on Greta's shoulder. "I'm sorry." She felt so stupid. That's it? That's all she could say? After all she put Greta through, that's her only response? She shook her head. "I'm sorry for... for everything, really. The stupid arguments, me being too sorry for myself to help you, and just..." She sighed. "I'm sorry it took all that for me to realize what's been going on. I'll try to be better."

With a small cry, Greta hugged Gilda. "Th-thank you!" She started to sob. "I d-didn't know what I got myself into, a-and I couldn't find my way back! I d-d-didn't think a-anyone w-would come l-looking for me. I-I didn't think a-anyone cared enough to. But _you_ d-did. _Everyone_ did. I..." Her voice failed her, and she continued to cry on Gilda's shoulder.

Gilda hugged Greta back. "I'm just glad you're okay. And I promise you, I'm gonna take care of you from now on. Like a..." She gasped softly. "Like a big sister. I'll help you however I can. I'll... I'll take charge, like I said before." She chuckled mirthlessly. "I think you deserve a break."

Greta smiled and sniffed, sitting upright again. "Thank you."

Gilda, remembering the stew and hoping there was some left, smiled. "I'll be right back."


	19. Gone

**19**

 **Gone**

"I'll see you later."

Those were the last words Rainbow heard from Soarin'. That was over an hour ago, some five miles back. The two were been charged with scouting out Trottingham. Thunderhead received a few reports saying the griffons had left the isles entirely after they had lost the cannons, and the two had been sent to see if they were just empty rumors.

The forest was dense, and the fog didn't help matters. Pines towered high above her, vanishing, making her feel nearly insignificant. She had seen nothing of note since she and Soarin' split, aside for an odd looking tree and a peculiar rock formation. There didn't seem to be any life at all in it, not even mice or squirrels or birds. She thought she smelled something funny, but only caught whiffs of it once in a while.

She kept walking. Her hooves felt heavy, her ankles ached with each step. She wanted to fly, but she had promised to keep a low profile in case griffons still lurked around. The pine needles crackled underneath her. Other than that odd odor, the forest smelled nice, peaceful even. She always liked the smell of pine. It helped calm her somewhat, a small bit of reassurance in the otherwise unwelcoming atmosphere. Trottingham might not have been so bad a place to live before the war, she thought to herself.

Her hoof brushed up against something cold, and a loud metal crack echoed next to her. She jumped, feeling the object hit her hoof as she went. She hovered a small ways away, looking at the disturbed needles. A rusted semicircle arced over the foliage. She took a closer look at it and recognized it as a bear trap, chained up to a nearby tree. She shook her head. She guessed they didn't want anypony coming in or out. She decided to fly to Trottingham, just very low to the ground. She liked her legs.

Some time passed, Rainbow guessed about five minutes, and she saw more evidence of traps laying in wait for somepony. The griffons were thorough, to say the least. And skilled. There must have been dozens of traps hidden, but none held anything. She had a knack for paying attention to minute details, and she didn't see that last trap until she had nearly stepped onto it. Anypony else wouldn't be able to get through.

She saw a mound some fifty yards ahead. She first guessed it was a pile of leaves, but the trees here were pine, not oak or birch. She flew a little faster, curiosity getting the better of her. As she approached, the smell hit her, more powerful this time. She shuddered, knowing what the smell was now. It was rot—death.

Rainbow, getting close enough to see, realized the mound was a dead mare. She landed close to the body and saw it was in a trap. Rainbow took a small gasp. The dead mare was a pegasus but no longer with her wings. Stubs, scarred but grown over with her coat, took their place, and Rainbow tensed her own wings. The mare had her throat slit open. She didn't look that old, as if she had died maybe a day or two ago. What a way to go, Rainbow thought to herself.

She slowly moved on, flying in the same general direction she had been going. She didn't see anypony else in traps, and she was glad she didn't have to look at any more dead ponies. The frequency of the traps increased as she drew nearer to Trottingham, and Rainbow couldn't help but feel both impressed by and sad for the mare. She had gotten so far.

Then, something shining caught her eye. She squinted and thought it could be a chainlink fence. She slowly hovered over towards it. There were no longer any trees to provide her cover near the fence, so she took her time at the forest's edge. She scanned the air, but could see nothing. She looked past the fence. Still nothing. There weren't any traps anymore. She slowly walked towards the fence. She craned her neck, looking around. She could see some buildings, but little else. Seeing no signs of ponies or griffons, she hopped up and flew over the fence.

The first thing she noticed was the smell again, though fainter this time. It was still sweet, sickeningly sweet, and sour. It made her nose burn and run and her eyes water. At her very core, it made her uneasy. She looked around, utterly bewildered. She thought, with the smell perfuming the air, there would be a source somewhere, but there still wasn't a pony or griffon to be seen.

The small buildings that defined the little town had been burned. The quaint homes and humble cottages were nothing more than black skeletons now. It reminded Rainbow of Manehattan and Canterlot, with its empty streets and buildings, and she shuddered. Another smell hit her. It was familiar somehow. She tried to separate it from the smell of rot, and after a few moments, she remembered vividly where she had smelled it last. It was oil and some other substance, and it was exactly what had burned Canterlot.

The atmosphere was oppressive, lonely, as if she did not belong there. She thought she should leave, maybe go find Soarin' and go together, but she didn't know where he was. They had only gone over where they'd meet: the town hall. She didn't expect to fell so disquieted and unsettled about the town. Shaking her head, realizing she hadn't actually taken a step into the town, she began walking.

The cobblestone streets were empty. The corpses of buildings were long abandoned. Her footsteps didn't echo; the sounds she made seemed to be swallowed up in the fog. She looked around, a prickling sensation going throughout her body. She started to breathe a little more quickly. There was nothing. Some lampposts still had burning stubs of candles in them. Someone was here, she thought. She looked into alleys and more intact buildings, still too afraid to speak up or call out for anypony.

She reached a lonely intersection. Looking at each road, she saw more of the same. More burned down buildings. More empty streets. More lack of life. More nothing. She started breathing faster, her visor getting fogged up. Shaking, she threw off her helmet, and it clattered on the cobblestone. She whirled around, looking at each road. She couldn't remember where she had come from. Everything was nothing. Desperation sank it. She took a deep breath.

"Hello?! Anypony?! Can anypony hear me?!"

 _"Thou shouldst not be here."_

Rainbow stopped, eyes widening. A voice had whispered in the back of her head, making it prickle, and a cold, dark feeling entered her heart. She stood still, listening. She didn't know why she had that thought, or if she did, or who spoke it. She couldn't describe the feeling it made her feel. She could almost swear it was somepony she knew, but at the same time, she didn't recognize it from anywhere. Her breathing became shallow. Was somepony talking to her? Or did she think those words? How could it be her, though, if she didn't actually think it? If it was somepony, who was in her mind? Why? How?

She stood in silence for what felt like hours, waiting for something, anything. Hearing nothing, she slowly picked up her helmet and put it back on. Peering down one street, she thought she could make out the fence she had hopped over. Looking at the one behind her, she turned and kept walking.

The smell became stronger, but she couldn't see bodies yet. The constant reminder of death but lack of evidence thereof made Rainbow want to scream again. Where could they be? The smell was everywhere, yet there was nothing. She looked at the buildings towering over her now. Judging by their height, she guessed this was the center of town. These buildings were burned too. She spied a brick clock tower which had stopped at a little over half past eleven. She wondered how it had stopped when her hoof hit against something again.

She jumped, flying upwards a bit. Looking down, she saw it was a pony. Then the smell hit her, much greater this time now that she disturbed it. She hovered down, coughing a bit. It was a stallion. His neck had been sliced open too. Looking more closely, she noticed the blood still seemed relatively fresh. She looked around, now seeing more dead. They were scattered here and there along the street. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, mares, stallions, colts, fillies. She wasn't sure this was better than empty roads.

"What the hell happened here?"

 _"Leave."_

It came back again. It made the back of her head throb. It was still a whisper, but it was more forced, angry. She held her head, now terrified of her own thoughts. Who was this? Why were they here? How were they in her head? She wanted them out. It was her mind, not theirs. She took off her helmet and sat on the road, ignoring the bodies.

She rubbed her temples, trying to calm herself down. They only seemed to talk when she did. So, if she kept quiet, so would they. Hopefully. She regained herself somewhat and felt around for her helmet. She touched the dead stallion's head and reeled away. Shaking, she found her helmet, slammed it on her head, and ran down the street.

The smell had changed. Now it smelled burnt. She looked at the buildings more thoroughly now, checking every room. Bodies were becoming more common on the streets, more varied in their deaths. Some, she saw, were stabbed. Others looked as though they were beaten to death. A pony couple looked hacked to pieces. She thought perhaps one or two were just dropped, as they spread on the cobblestone.

The street she was on turned to a modest town square, and she finally saw the town hall. Flanking each side of the square were gallows, still idly swinging their last victims. Rainbow almost wanted to run to the town hall, but she noticed the smell of burnt rot became almost unbearable as she got closer. The building reminded her of the one in Ponyville. It had some of the same features, but it was smaller overall, much like the town. Now taking her breaths in gasps, holding them for as long as she could, she ventured closer to the building.

She started looking for Soarin'. She flew around the crumbling structure, but couldn't find him. She dared not call out to him, fearing the voice would return. She flew up and waited on the top spire of the building. She could wait. She told herself to stay put. The smell alone coming from the building was all she needed to know what happened. But morbid curiosity started to get ahold of her mind. How many were in there? Who was in there? Was it the rest of the town? Were griffons inside?

She scanned the murky skies and streets one last time for Soarin', and, after not seeing him, took a deep breath and went to the front doors. Upon landing, she saw they had been barricaded shut. The windows she saw had furniture piled up in front of them. Her heart sank and grew colder. She had to take another breath but didn't want to for the smell. She back off the porch and started to fly up, but couldn't hold her breath.

The stench was unimaginable. She started coughing heavily in her helmet. It burned her throat and lungs. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to stave off the flow of tears. She finally reached up high enough to escape the brunt of the smell and got air. She had to get used to it to see what was inside. In an effort to acclimatize herself, she lowered her altitude inch by inch, not holding her breath anymore. When she landed, the smell was still pungent but just tolerable enough.

Rainbow walked back to where she was before. She looked at the barricades and shuddered. She didn't need to ask herself why the griffons did that. She circled the building, finding all of it had been sealed off. She couldn't find an entrance anywhere—she would have to make one.

She walked back to the main doors, which looked easiest to pry open. She grabbed ahold of a burnt board and pulled hard. It didn't budge. She looked around for some tool to help her. Seeing nothing of use, she went back to pulling. It felt as though there was some give to it now. She pulled with all her might, and felt a nail pop loose. Strangely excited now, she put her hooves on the wall and pushed against it, pulling on the board.

Suddenly, the rest of the nails gave at once, the burnt board splintering. She flew backwards, the board soaring over her head. She heard chilling sounds as the doors opened. Crackling. Mushing. Popping. She slowly looked at the opening and saw dozens of charred bodies piled up at the door. They were so thoroughly burned that she couldn't tell mares from stallions. The smell had reached its absolute now. Hovering over the bodies, she braced herself for what she would find inside and flew in.

Despite having the door wide open, the fog outside made the interior completely dark. Remembering she had a flashlight, she fumbled about in her saddlebags looking for it. She got ahold of it, turned it on, but dropped it. It spun as it fell, casting lights onto the skeletal interior of the building. It landed on an empty patch of the floor, shining into the eye sockets of a dead pony. Rainbow shuddered, landing to retrieve her flashlight. As she picked it up, she saw the body was not alone. It was in an embrace with another. They were holding each other, and a little one lay in-between them.

She took the flashlight and slowly scanned the room. The majority of the bodies were gathered up against the windows and doors. They were all piled up on each other, all looking identical in death. She walked around, taking care not to step on anypony. She started counting them. Some looked as though they began breaking down some of the weaker parts of the wall in order to escape. Some were alone. Nearly all of them curled up into balls, trying to stave off the flames.

She was surprised to see some griffons inside the building. Claw marks were etched into the walls nearest them. Her flashlight revealed giant piles of charcoal in some spots, small piles of what she assumed were hay bales in others. After looking around the room again, she gave up counting. There had to have been hundreds packed into this one room.

She was in a dreadful awe. The griffons knew what they were doing, she thought. They got rid of most of the town in one go. How efficient. Effective. _Easy_. It probably took one torch to kill all of these ponies. How did they feel, being corralled into here? Did they know what was going on? She looked back at the family of three.

She imagined she was that little one, following her mother and father into the town hall. She asked them what was going to happen. She could see her mother's face, telling her not to worry. They walked into the dark building, voices chattering about it being cramped. Rainbow lost sight of her father, and she called out for him. Suddenly, the doors slammed shut, and the windows were blocked off. Her mother kept her close, telling her not to run. She watched as other ponies began beating on the doors and breaking the windows, yelling at the griffons to let them out. She watched as some were jabbed away by spears. Everything was in commotion.

Rainbow tore free of her mother and looked for her father, calling out for him. She could hear her mother's frantic cries, but she didn't listen. She couldn't find him anywhere. Then she saw it. A lone orange ball flew from nowhere and set the hay in the center on fire. Ponies ran to it, trying to put it out. Rainbow was pulled back by her mother. She saw her father run to the fire, stamping on it. Somepony yelled it was pointless, and soon the other bales of hay and the building itself caught on fire. Her mother called to her father, and he ran to them. They hugged, covering Rainbow with their bodies. She heard screams all around her, flames licking her hooves, smoke filling her lungs...

Rainbow snapped out of her imagination, a tear rolling down her cheek. She stood, still staring at that same family her flashlight first landed upon. The cold, dark feeling spread throughout her body, as if it came from her bones. Her lips began to tremble. How could the griffons have done this? How could they have killed so many innocents? None of them deserved being burned alive. Nopony did. She thought about the mare she found in the trap. Did she know what was going to happen? Is this why she ran? Did she tell anypony?

Rainbow decided she had enough of this infernal place. She couldn't stand being here, one living amongst so many dead. She flew up and began hovering again. She flew outside and was relieved at the change in air and scenery. Putting her flashlight away, she looked around for Soarin', but still could not find him. She decided to sit back atop the spire and wait a little longer. This was the rendezvous point, after all.

After another half hour, Rainbow thought she saw somepony flying towards her through the fog. Still afraid to speak up, she flew towards it, hopeful. As she got closer, she knew it was Soarin'. They met, but he didn't say anything. They waved to each other, but neither spoke. Rainbow pointed at Soarin' and then to the back of her head. He nodded slowly. He motioned her to him, and she followed. She could barely see the streets from above, but could see clearly were ponies lay, their dark shapes stark against the hazy grey. They passed another section of the fence and landed on the ground.

They looked at each other. Rainbow flipped open her visor and cleared her throat. The cold, dark feeling slowly left her. She hesitated for a moment. "Y-you heard it too?" She waited. He waited. She didn't hear anything. Sighing in relief, she said, "I don't hear it anymore."

He flipped his visor. "T-that's not right. This place isn't right."

"I know." So many questions buzzed around in her head. "So you heard it too? A voice in the back of your head?"

He nodded. "It told me that I shouldn't be here. I don't think I've ever been more afraid."

"Did..." The question seemed creepy, but so was the whole thing. "D-did it sound like anypony to you?"

"It... _felt_ familiar, but no, not anypony I knew. Couldn't tell you if it was a mare or a stallion."

She sighed. "And now it stopped. All on its own."

"Good. I hope to Celestia I never hear it again."

She wanted to drop the subject, but curiosity took over her thoughts. "What did you find?"

Soarin' sat. "It was so... _eerie._ For the longest time, I couldn't find anything. Then I found bodies, dozens, just lining the streets. The pegasi were wingless, a-and the unicorns were hornless." Rainbow nodded. He sighed. "And then I found this building, and..." He stared at the ground. "There was blood everywhere, all over the floor and half up the walls. The smell was unbearable. There were more bodies, but they were..." He shook his head. "They were hung up. Skinned. Cut into pieces." He took a shaky breath. "I think the griffons were eating them."

Rainbow's stomach felt funny. "That's so... That's... how could they... _eat_ ponies? Eat another sentient being? Tch. Why am I even asking myself that?" She walked over to Soarin' and sat in front of him.

"What? What did you find?"

"Pretty much the same thing. Couldn't find anypony for a while, then too many to count. I got to the town hall, but, since you took a while to get here, I decided to look inside. There's just... _bodies_... in there. So many charred, black bodies. Must've been hundreds, like most of the town was in there. There were some griffons, too. They were trapped in there, burned alive."

Soarin' shuddered. "I'm so sick of this. Sick of this all."

Her front knees shook slightly. "What makes me feel the worst is I felt like we were too late."

Soarin' sighed and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Dash—"

"Like we could've stopped all this from happening. A lot of the bodies I saw lining the streets looked like they'd been killed in the last day or so, and if only we—"

"Stop, Dash. Please."

She sighed. "S-sorry, Soarin'. I just feel... _awful."_

"Me too," he said quietly, putting his hoof down.

She pawed the dirt. "I guess we should fly back over to Thunderhead then."

He nodded. "Mhmm."

Rainbow stared into Soarin's glistening eyes. He looked utterly exhausted, but he smiled at her. A tear ran down his cheek. To her surprise, he hugged her, wrapping his wings around her, and he started to cry quietly on her shoulder. She hugged him back and teared up as well, a small sense of peace and warmth filling her heart.


	20. Anathema

**20**

 **Anathema**

"Hey, this is actually working."

Twilight, Spike, Starlight, Sunburst, and Luna busied themselves with repairing the castle. Each had a bucket filled to the brim with violet fragments of various shades and sizes. Spike's idea of using the shards to patch up the structure had slowly but surely worked.

Spike grabbed and examined a hefty chunk, rolling his eyes. "You sound surprised, Twilight." He slotted it into a similarly shaped hole in the floor, and, with a glow, it became one with it.

"I didn't mean it like that," Twilight said. "I just didn't expect crystal to be so..." she tapped the wall she was working on, "organic? Living?"

"Well, it _did_ come from a tree," Starlight said, "right?" Twilight scoffed.

"Yeah," Spike nodded, "and not just any tree. A magic, _crystal_ tree that has the Elements in it. Huh, kinda forgot about those."

"Still," Twilight said, shaking her head, "it's... it's crystal. A rock. A formation of minerals. It shouldn't, well, grow, meld, _heal_ , like this."

Spike shrugged. "Meh. I just see that it's magic-related and leave it at that." He started placing smaller fragments into fissures in the ground, each one emitting a glow as it took its place. "How do phoenixes get born again?" He shrugged. "Magic. How do sticks and rocks and leaves stay together to make a timberwolf?" He shrugged again, picking up another piece. "Magic. How did a crystal box grow into a crystal tree?" He smiled smugly at Twilight as he placed another piece in a crevasse. It glowed brightly. "Magic. It's just easier for me not to think about it."

"Well," Sunburst chimed in, "I could explain _two_ of those things to you."

Spike laughed. "Nah, I'm good."

Luna fitted a sizable hunk into the ceiling with a glow. Her leg was now freed from its cast, and she reveled in the thought of walking with four legs once again. She looked down to the others. "Twilight? When shall we fix the spire?"

Twilight set her bucket down. "Uh... well, I _was_ thinking about waiting until more ponies were available to help, but we could do it right now, I guess. Why, are you going to sleep soon or something?"

"That, and the sooner it gets done, the less we have to worry about later." She flew down from the ceiling and landed on the floor. "It could also give hope to those who need it, seeing the castle quickly being repaired. I could levitate the structure whilst you and Starlight placed the shards around it."

"And me?" Spike said.

"You and Sunburst can be on the inside," Twilight said, "fixing the walls and ceilings from there."

He shrugged, tossing a shard into the bucket and picking it up. "Guess I got nothing better to do."

* * *

Ponyville was bustling with energy. Outside, ponies hustled from place to place, gathering wood, stucco, and tiling, bringing it all back to their ruined homes. Many public buildings, such as the train station and town hall, were left alone in favor of repairing the various residences. Twilight, Starlight, and Luna looked at the castle spire, which had dug itself into the ground for a good few yards.

Sunburst scratched his head. "Huh. Should we, uh, dig it up? I'm not sure we can do that ourselves before nightfall."

Twilight pursed her lips. "Hmph. You're right." She tilted her head, looking at the spire. "Maybe this _should_ wait, at least until more ponies are available."

Luna chuckled. "You two act like you have not magic." She lit her horn. "Let us pull the spire from its crater, and then I shall be able to hold it up myself for you."

Starlight and Sunburst looked at each other. Twilight shrugged, and the three turned to the spire and lit their horns as well. They slowly lifted the giant structure, gaining the attention of passersby. After some effort, they were able to fully unearth it, leaving behind a peculiar, almost cavelike hole in the grass and dirt. The star had collapsed near the top, and much of it still lay in the hole. Luna was fine under the load, but the other three were sweating.

"You," Twilight said, panting, "you sure you got this?"

"Yes," Luna replied. "You can let go now."

Almost immediately, the three relinquished their control of the structure. It fell a few feet, kissing the ground. Luna's head bent down with it. Onlookers retreated a few paces, and the other three had their horns lit again.

"That was... heh," Luna looked at them. "That was a bit heavier than I expected."

"You're sure you can handle it?" Starlight asked. "I mean, one of us could stay and—"

"No, no, no, I am quite capable." She heaved it skyward. "Just go up and get started."

The two nodded. Twilight flew upwards, and Starlight surrounded herself in a cyan bubble and followed. Sunburst ran inside to help Spike at the top. Luna focused and lifted the crystal cylinder upwards. She herself began to fly up, to better see how to manipulate it. She gazed at the small halves of the holes which were punched through it, and looked up to see the other halves in the castle. She shook her head. How could such a small thing break two castle walls?

She arrived and found the four talking to one another. Spike pointed behind them and handed them each a large bucket of shards. Luna carefully positioned the spire into place, using the small holes as a sort of guide. It didn't quite fall into place, so Luna had to keep it aloft. The four immediately began their work, little glows flashing every few seconds.

Luna looked down and wasn't surprised to see a small crowd gathered, staring up at them. She shook her head, chucking. "Have ye not homes to rebuild?" she called down to them. She laughed as some ponies left immediately and others slowly backed away.

"Hey, Twilight!" Spike called from the small hole.

Twilight flew over to him. "Yeah? What's up, Spike?"

"I know this probably isn't the best time to ask, but, I'm just curious. What're our plans for tomorrow?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Tomorrow...?"

Spike shook his head. Luna flew a bit closer, glad for a diversion. "Well," he said, a bit mockingly, "today's the twentieth, so tomorrow is...?"

"The twenty-first?" She shrugged. "What're you saying?"

Luna understood all at once. "The Summer Sun Celebration." Without thinking, she started losing control of the spire. It fell down, hitting the section it was being reattached to.

"Look out!" Twilight yelled. She and Starlight flew out of the way, and Spike and Sunburst ducked down the stairs. Luna was stunned momentarily as the newly placed pieces of crystal shattered under the immense weight of the structure and scattered everywhere. The spire began to fall back down to the earth.

Snapping out of her stupor, Luna dove down. "Damn it!" She focused all of her magic into catching it. The other two joined her, eventually slowing its descent. The ponies who didn't leave before were galloping away now. The spire wasn't able to get halfway to the ground, and Luna breathed a sigh of relief.

"What the hell, Luna?!" Twilight yelled, giving a side glance at Luna. Starlight kept her eyes on the spire, muttering something. "You could've gotten us killed! Are you _that_ tired?!"

"I-I-I am so sorry, Twilight!" Luna said, carefully descending. The other two followed suit. "I-it is just I had forgotten about the..." Her ears folded back. "Celebration."

"Oh." Twilight facehoofed. "Right. Sorry. I, uh, I forgot about it too." The three lowered it slowly to the ground. Spike and Sunburst were already outside, and they started having a very animated discussion with Starlight. Twilight turned back to Luna. "Well, what _are_ we going to do for the celebration?"

Luna's ears now fell flat to her head. She looked down at her reflection in a puddle, and who she saw was almost a stranger. Her mane and tail had long since stopped shimmering and waving, both now dragging along the ground when she walked. She had grown noticeably thinner over the last three months, her now pale indigo coat more taught on her body. Her eyes, even though she was looking directly at them, didn't seem to look back, but instead focused on something in the distance. The faint sense of happiness she had felt earlier was gone, and once again her entire countenance was broken, beaten.

Luna remembered Twilight and cleared her throat. "We cannot cancel it," she said finally, head still down. "It would be too much to ask of the ponies. They need this."

"But will _you_ be okay?" Twilight asked. "It's just... I mean..." She sighed. "It's _you_. You're going to be the one raising the sun."

Luna winced and closed her eyes. "I know." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Will you be okay, Luna?" Twilight asked again, more earnestly.

Luna looked back at the castle. She said nothing for a time. Twilight began to speak when Luna looked at her. "Let us finish the spire later." She slowly walked back inside, past the other three, who paid her no mind.

* * *

Luna slowly paced around her old castle in the Everfree. The emptiness didn't help her spirits, but it was the only place where she could think clearly. Doubts and worries had popped into her mind the moment she remembered the celebration. She didn't want to do it. She knew it had to be done, but she wished it could be done by somepony else, anypony other than her. She didn't want to take her sister's place. She grew frustrated with herself. She didn't know how to describe her own feelings. She felt dirty in a way, as if she would tarnish the day or make it less special. The only reassurance she could fathom was she had been raising and setting the sun on her own ever since the funeral.

The thought of sleep never occurred to Luna. Even after lowering the sun and raising the moon, she felt no better. She moved the sun and moon every day simply because she had to. The celebration was her sister's, not hers. She thought of ways to explain to the ponies why she called to cancel it, but she couldn't bear to think of the hundreds of crestfallen countenances. They needed this, needed something happy, needed _something_ to reassure them. But why did it have to be this? Why now? Why her?

The sky began to lighten, and Luna realized she hadn't even laid down in the past dozen or so hours. She thought of just raising the sun from the castle but chided her cowardice. Flying over the forest's edge, she groggily made her way toward the center of town. Even though it had to have been at least five in the morning, hundreds of ponies had already gathered around the main fountain, and Luna had to fly high above as to not be seen.

She landed behind the fountain, where Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity were. She peeked around to the other side of the fountain and saw a makeshift rickety platform made of old boards of wood. She made an audible whimper.

"Luna, you'll be fine," Twilight said. "The ponies here look up to you. They love you. You've been doing this every day already. You can do this."

Luna simply nodded. She took a shaky breath and walked to the front of the fountain. Cheers erupted from the crowd gathered there. She stepped on the platform and faced them, utterly horrified. They were all so happy, so excited—everything she wasn't. She could feel beads of sweat roll past her eyes, her heart attempting to jump out of her chest, her knees threatening to disappear altogether. She took a few more deep breaths, trying to steady herself, getting a bit lightheaded instead. Doubts resurfaced, and she made no attempt to clear them away. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes, lit her horn, and focused her mind on the sun behind her.

Her eyes flew open. It wasn't budging. Frantically, she concentrated harder and tried physically pulling the sun along. It felt as though her horn were a tooth she was trying to pull out. The strain pulled on her skull, threatening to snap her horn off. Luna bit her lip to stem the pain. She doubled and tripled her efforts to no avail. "What is happening?" she muttered through grit teeth. She looked at the crowd, who seemed more worried now than excited.

The doubts reared their heads again, louder, more persistent. She wasn't supposed to do this. It wasn't her place to. Twilight should have done this, not her. No, she thought. She couldn't keep thinking like this. She had to raise the sun. Ponies were counting on her to do it for them. Luna remembered Twilight's words. She was the only one who could do this.

Taking another deep breath, she pulled again on the sun. Sparks shot out of her horn as it grew brighter and hotter. She closed her eyes, putting all of her might into her head. She thought she felt the sun begin to move. She began slowly flapping her wings. As soon as her hooves left the ground, she opened her eyes. Unicorns had their horns lit in case she needed help, but one by one extinguished them. Ponies were cheering for her. They were wide-eyed, looking at each other and the sun. Her heart soared. She could do this.

A single doubt fluttered into her mind. Was she worthy? She faltered. She stopped her ascent, and the sun seemed to go back down a ways, pulling her with it. Was she really _, truly_ worthy? The floodgates opened. She really wasn't, she knew that. How could she be? She couldn't do it. She couldn't because she wasn't good enough. She wasn't perfect like her sister was. How could she ever be like her? How could she ever make up for what she had done? There was no way she would ever be like her sister. She kept trying to fly up but started choking up. Was she trying to _replace_ her sister? She abruptly lowered again. Was this whole thing some foolish attempt to take her sister's place in the ponies' minds? She whimpered. She could not do this.

Luna let go of the sun. She fell, slamming hard on the makeshift platform. The sky turned back to a soft twilight. The ponies in the crowd gasped. Luna covered her face with her wings, wracked in sobs. Doubts bounced around in her mind, seemingly magnifying with each echo. She started muttering her thoughts aloud.

"I am a wretched being for even thinking of replacing her. There cannot be anyone like her, much less me. How could _I_ be?" Her heart beat slowly, heavily, thudding loudly against her chest.

"Cowardly, stupid, ignorant, impatient, jealous, childish, foolish..." More and more words popped into her head, and she agreed with them all. "How could I have dared to act in her place? How could I ever think myself worthy? There is no way I could come close to even the dirt she walked on." Luna wanted to stop existing, to be free of this vileness.

Luna peeked over her trembling hooves at the crowd. Many were shocked, staring at her with mouths ajar. Some looked disappointed. A few were shaking their heads. More tears blurred Luna's vision, and she ducked down again. "I let them all down. They looked up to me, and I cannot so much as raise the sun this one time. She never would have messed up like this. She never would have doubted herself. She never would have disappointed anypony. She never would have failed."

She heard hoovesteps to her side. She peeked one eye and saw a purple pony with an outstretched hoof. She stared at it, unsure at first who it was; then, recognizing Twilight, she took her hoof, despising herself even more. She couldn't even stand up to walk on her own now. Twilight guided her off of the platform to her two friends, who watched Luna with abated breath. Luna could hear the crowd murmuring, whispering. She kept eye contact with the ground, her wings dragging along the dew-covered grass. She heard Fluttershy and Rarity trying to comfort her without really listening to them.

Suddenly, the sky became brighter, and the ponies gasped. Luna looked up and saw Twilight in the air, her horn aglow. Nearly every unicorn she could see in the crowd had their horns alight. The entire crowd roared, stomping their hooves, whistling, cheering; happy. Luna couldn't bear any more of it. She teleported to a patch of clouds, leaving behind a startled group of ponies.

Luna buried her face in the clouds and screamed. She screamed as much as her lungs allowed. The clouds quickly shifted from a snowy white to a sooty black. She caught her breath and screamed again until she felt her throat tear. After a few more trembling breaths, she was wracked in sobs. Three months of pent-up remorse crashed into her mind and spilt from her eyes. Images of her sister's face and mangled, bloody body flashed in her mind. She couldn't escape it. She cried until she no longer could, for what felt like hours, yet when she opened her eyes, the sun had barely moved. She took more unsteady breaths and trembled on the dark cloud.

"I..." she muttered, "I j-just want to die..."

"Luna?"

Luna quickly looked up and saw Twilight hovering in front of her. She looked horrified. Her pupils were little more than dots in her eyes. Luna looked down and saw she was no more than a few dozen yards away from the crowd. They all gazed up at her, fearful and concerned, quietly whispering to one another. Luna looked back at Twilight, who cautiously flew closer.

"Luna..." She spoke softly as to not let others hear. "Do... do you really...?"

Luna sniffed and looked down. "I-I do not know," she choked out. She continued crying softly. "I just want to sleep. I j-just want to forget, to not feel this awful bitterness inside me." She took a few quivering breaths. "I feel as though I t-tried to replace my sister, but how could I do that? How _dare_ I? I-I am nowhere near her. And now... now I am supposed to be the... the strong one, the hope, t-the one to whom ponies look up." She stared at Twilight. "But how can I do that? What am I supposed to do? H-how can I face them now? I am—no." She looked down. "No. I n-never was worthy. I failed them. I..." her voice broke. "I failed... _Celestia."_ It hurt her to say her name, and she cried again.

"Luna," Twilight flew over to her and hugged her. Luna felt a sliver of warmth return to her. Twilight hovered back a little. "You already do so much for everypony, and not just the war. You've been doing my job for the past three months now. Everypony here supports you. The fact they're here proves it. Don't ever think you're not needed. Don't ever think you're unimportant." She started tearing up. "Don't ever think we don't love you. That includes Celestia." Luna doubtfully glanced at Twilight.

Twilight's face contorted in pain. "You think she doesn't love you? How... how _couldn't_ she? You're her sister. You picked up her mantle and are leading Equestria through its darkest time. She loves you every bit right now as she did then. Nothing's going to change that." She offered a hoof, and Luna stared at it. After a moment, she grabbed it, and Twilight helped her up. "And here, with this," Twilight gestured to the crowd, "you're not replacing her, you're _honoring_ her. You're trying to keep her memory alive with this ceremony."

Luna knew somewhere in her mind Twilight was right. She felt better knowing Twilight was on her side now, but she still had to bite back a plague of questions from escaping. How could she explain what a lack of hope feels like? How regret had festered and grown to the point where that's all she could think about? How she hated her very heart for incessantly beating? Why she refused to eat or sleep for days if she could stand it? How she knew, she _knew,_ she shouldn't be there? Perhaps she could get better now. Somehow. The sliver of warmth grew, and she held onto it. She had to get better. For Celestia's sake.

"I understand now what you meant by pillars," Twilight said, smiling at Luna. "I'm... I'm so, so sorry for not being there for you. I'm sorry I was a hothead and hurt you and how I wasn't supporting you. I was a truly awful pony." She nudged Luna. "Now I think _you_ need a pillar."

Luna smiled weakly. She hugged Twilight tightly. "Thank you. Really, I thank you. I... I needed that. I really did."

"Hey!" a voice called from below. "Three cheers for Princess Luna!" Luna looked over the clouds and saw an ocean of ponies, all looking at her with admiration. "Hip hip!" the pony cried. A shout of hurrah erupted from the crowd. "Hip hip!" The shout was louder this time. Luna shakily spread her wings. "Hip hip!" A near deafening shout. The crowd below cheered and whistled again for her. The sliver of warmth engulfed her heart, and for a moment, Luna truly smiled.


	21. Incivility

**21**

 **Incivility**

"This doesn't feel right."

Rainbow and Soarin' were on patrol, flying around a half mile in front of Thunderhead. The colossal cloud silently slid through the cool evening air unopposed. The sun sat behind the floating headquarters, casting a gigantic shadow on the ocean and the rocks lining the coast.

"How do you mean?" Soarin' said with a yawn.

"It's just..." Rainbow looked down at her hooves. "Ever since we took over the cannons, we haven't seen a single griffon. Don't you find that, well..." She looked at him. "Eerie? Especially after Trottingham?"

"Well, yeah, but..." Soarin' huffed. "I'm just glad we haven't seen one of those vultures out here, after what they did."

"So it doesn't bother you at all?"

He flew closer alongside her. "Of course it does. I..." He spun a hoof in the air then shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I'm enjoying the quiet while it lasts, trying not to think about what's next."

Rainbow sighed and looked ahead again. "I can't stop thinking about it. After all we've gone through, I thought it'd only get tougher. Not," she gestured to the sky in front of them, _"nothing."_ She looked back to Soarin'. "Y'know?"

"I getcha," he said with a nod. "I think it's so empty out here because the griffons are all centered around Griffonstone, just waiting for us."

Rainbow sighed. "I don't doubt it. It's gonna be hell when we get there."

"I wish Cyclone and Typhoon would just win the war already."

"Ooh," said Rainbow, "think about it. If they've been there the whole war, and they _still_ haven't broken through..."

"Damn," Soarin' muttered. "It already _is_ hell."

"Hey," said Rainbow, "woah." She slowed down and looked down, squinting.

Soarin' stopped ahead of her. "What's up?"

Rainbow shushed him and pointed towards the spot where she was looking. There were two specks in the distance, barely distinguishable from the rocks below, and they looked like they were growing closer.

"Well," Soarin' said, "there are your griffons." He turned around and faced Thunderhead. "I'll go round up some pegasi."

"I'm not sure if we need to. Look closer." She started descending. "They're not wearing armor..."

"Dash," he said seriously, "wait."

"And look at the left one," she continued. A tiny white square caught glimmers of sunlight. "They're carrying a white flag." She started flying towards them.

"Dash!" He grabbed her tail. "Stop! Think for a second!" He let go, and she looked at him, hooves crossed. He groaned. "You're gonna trust some white flag? These griffons are monsters, remember? This could be an ambush or something!"

Rainbow thought for a moment. "Well, if it _is_ an ambush, we can out-fly them back here. But," she smiled, getting excited, "think about it. What if this is an actual surrender, like a full-scale surrender of the griffons?" Soarin's eyes widened, and Rainbow nodded. "Exactly. Let's go."

"But are you _sure_ we don't want _some_ backup?"

Rainbow smirked and began flying toward the griffons. "Thunderhead's our backup."

Soarin' rolled his eyes and flew after her. "Alright, fine. But whoever they are, we're taking them back there. Don't want any scum slipping back to Griffonstone." There was a coarseness in his voice which even startled Rainbow.

They flipped down the visors on their helmets and dove down. The two griffons noticed them and shifted their flight to meet with them. Rainbow couldn't help but feel an insurmountable hatred towards the two griffons. How dare they ask to talk civilly when they committed mass murder? An entire town was gone now. She looked at Soarin', whose hooves shook in anger.

The griffon on the right looked familiar to Rainbow. She squinted, studying their face, then gasped, stopping dead in the air. Soarin' turned around, looking quickly between her and the two griffons. "What?" he whispered. "More griffons?"

"Gilda?!" Rainbow flipped up her visor and flew excitedly towards the griffons. "Gilda, is that you?!"

"Woah, Dash!" Soarin' flew after her. "Stop!"

"Dash?!" Gilda said, flying faster.

"Gilda?" said the griffon with the white flag, stopping in place.

Rainbow and Gilda hugged in midair, laughing. Rainbow couldn't help but flinch at the sight of Gilda's eyes, but Gilda didn't seem to notice.

"How the hell did you get way out here?" Rainbow said, playfully punching Gilda's shoulder.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing!" said Gilda, punching her back.

"Dash!" Soarin' barked. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Hey!" Gilda advanced towards him. "Back off, pal—"

"Easy, everyone," Rainbow said, flying between the two. "Soarin', this is Gilda, a good friend of mine. Gilda, this is my wingmate, Soarin'."

"Your _what?"_ the other griffon said. "Oh!" She blushed. "I get it now. Sorry."

"Dash, Soarin'," said Gilda, shaking her head, "this is Gabby."

"Oh yeah," Rainbow said, "I remember you now."

Gabby nodded excitedly. "We saw that huge cloud, and we knew it had to be you. Well, not _you_ you, but Equestria."

"Well," said Soarin', "let's get back to that cloud, shall we?"

* * *

The two griffons were led back to Thunderhead, catching the other pegasi there off guard upon landing. Soarin' had to keep explaining the situation over and over to everypony they passed until he finally got fed up and just told anyone who asked to shove off. Gabby kept close to Gilda, seemingly trying to withhold her excitement. They winded around a couple of hallways until they finally arrived at the cafeteria, where they got some porridge. To Rainbow's surprise, the griffons ate it without haste as soon as they sat down.

"So," Gilda said between bites, "why're you grey and black now? Hardly recognized you."

Rainbow' ears fell flat. "It's, uh..." She looked to Soarin' for help, but he too shifted uneasily.

"We lost our squadron," Soarin' said sullenly. The griffons stopped eating, looking between the two pegasi.

"So, uh," Rainbow cleared her throat, "there's more of you?"

"Yeah," Gabby said with a look of relief. "We're all hiding out in some abandoned bunker not far from here. We all had to evacuate Griffonstone when Gale started recruiting."

"Who's Gale?" asked Soarin'.

"He's the self-proclaimed king who started this war. He and his followers not-so-subtly had a parade commending their 'achievement' of killing Celestia." She didn't notice the two pegasi wince. "Started recruiting right then and there."

"Wait, how did they get so big?" Rainbow asked. "I didn't see anything like that when Pinkie and I were at Griffonstone, and your last letter didn't say—"

Gilda held up a claw. "That's because Gale recruited away from Griffonstone in the eastern part of the country." At Rainbow's confused expression, Gilda sighed. "I guess I should start from the beginning. Well," she looked at Soarin', "I don't know if you know this or not, Soarin', but the griffons were once all fighting amongst themselves, for gold, jewels, power, whatever.

"Then, a griffon named Grover discovered an artifact, calling it The Idol of Boreas. Using this, he united the griffons as one kingdom, and they made him their king. There was pride in every griffon, so long as they had the idol. Then, about fifty years ago, when King Guto ruled, an arimaspi attacked. It took the idol from us, and we pretty much lost our united identity then." She looked at Soarin' and Rainbow. "Do you know where arimaspi come from?"

"Uh... shoot." Rainbow hit the table. "I remember learning this, uh..."

"Aren't they in southern Equestria?" Soarin' asked.

"Yeah," Gabby said, "and a lot of griffons got angry. From what I've heard, Equestria was in charge of keeping the arimaspi at bay, keeping them where they were. When the griffons saw one take the idol, well, a lot of them blamed Equestria for it."

"Wait," Rainbow looked at Gilda, "why didn't your grandpa tell me and Pinkie that?"

"This sort of created a divide between the griffons," Gilda continued, ignoring Rainbow's question. "Most of the griffons wanted to fight Equestria, to take revenge. Guto refused. He didn't see the point, I guess. He blamed the arimaspi, sure, but not Equestria itself."

She sighed. "That only made griffons angrier. They felt betrayed by Guto, like they didn't know why he _wasn't_ angry. The griffons were already at each others' throats because of the loss of the idol, and this division between the king and the rest split them apart more and more. Then, I guess, he felt like he had to smooth things over with Equestria, sorta fix their relations. Guto decided to sell the Griffish Isles to them."

"Ah," said Soarin'. "The _Griffish_ Isles."

Gilda nodded. "There weren't any griffons there anyway, but it only made his problems worse. Now Guto had three things getting everyone pissed, and he couldn't really do anything about any of them. Pretty soon, riots started popping up throughout the kingdom, wanting him to be removed from power. It grew so badly that the country had a civil war."

"Gilda," Gabby interrupted, "wasn't Gruff with the king?"

"Yeah, he was," Gilda said curtly. "That's why he got his scar—got it in a skirmish."

"Why didn't they just ask Equestria for help?" Soarin' said. "We weren't exactly broke back then. We could've helped plenty."

"Guto had too much 'pride' to ask, I guess," Gilda said with a touch of contempt. "He respected Equestria as trading partners and all that, but I guess he thought asking for help would've been too great a hit to his ego. He didn't have to deal with the contention too long, though." She took a bite of her meal. "About a day or so after the isles were sold, he was assassinated. That's what really got the civil war going. Many of the rebels took the opportunity and focused on overtaking Griffonstone. Whatever was left of the government was fighting for control there. In the meantime, there were a bunch of rebels who fled to the isles, and they swore to kill any ponies who trespassed on their lands."

"How long were they there?" Rainbow asked, an idea forming.

"I think for about as long as the war went on, so probably around a year."

Rainbow turned to Soarin'. "Do you think those rebels made the cannons?" He raised an eyebrow. "Think about it. The hatch and everything was all rusted, the concrete was all chipped and cracked, and those computers looked like they were ready to collapse on themselves. If they made them, they could've attacked Equestia without leaving the island. Heh, like how the Pride was so eager to lob shells at us day in and day out."

"But if those rebels made it," Soarin' said, "why didn't they shell us when they finished it?"

Rainbow shrugged. "Maybe they didn't finish, and the Pride did. Anyway, sorry," she turned to Gilda and Gabby, "go on."

"Well," Gilda said, starting somewhat awkwardly after the digression, "the war dragged on for about year, like I said." Gilda cleared her throat. "The thing is, no one really knows or cares for that matter. There wasn't exactly a winner. I guess by default it'd be the king and his loyalists, since the rebels never managed to actually attack Equestria, but after a year, there really wasn't a government anyway. The war kind of devolved into a bunch of angry griffons raiding each other. Since the idol was lost, no one was unified. After a year, no one really remembered why they were fighting and just sort of stopped. That's when we really became isolated."

"Um, Gilda?" Gabby stood, pointing to a clock on the wall. "I'm going to head back to the others. They're probably worried about where we are." Gilda nodded.

"I'll come with," Soarin' volunteered, "so they don't think you're lying. How many did you say there were?"

Gabby sighed, her wings drooping. "Twenty five." She glanced at Gilda, who nodded.

He rubbed his chin. "Tell ya what. Let's go and invite them aboard." He stood and walked to Gabby's side of the table. "When we get back, I'll organize a party to take them west to Equestria. Anywhere back over there is probably better than that bunker."

Gabby stared at Soarin' wearing a huge grin. "Oh, thank you, thank you!" She hugged Soarin', who awkwardly hugged back. Gabby and Soarin' quickly bid adieu and ran out, stopping to ask some pegasi to accompany them. Three followed, and they left the cafeteria.

"Anyway..." Gilda stretched. "Back to the history lesson, I guess." She finished her bowl and put it aside. "I mean, unless, you're bored of it or—"

"No, no," Rainbow insisted. "Keep going."

Gilda sighed. "Nothing really changed around Griffonstone after the war sorta ended. Griffons lived their lives the best they could. Some managed to raise families, even in that hell-hole. Life continued that way for a long time—I even remember some of it. Then, I think about four or five years ago, there were some unionists popping up here and there around the city. The biggest one was called the Griffon's Pride, or just the Pride.

"Many griffons didn't get behind their ideas. They seemed too radical and 'all bark and no bite' to actually do much. All they really did was go south sometimes to loot some dragons, and I think once or twice they killed one. They got lots of support when they did that, but then it went away. I think they even had some expeditions to find the idol, but they didn't turn up anything, obviously. They were sort of against Equestria, but they didn't call for war or anything, just had resentment.

"There were other griffons, mainly opponents of the Pride, who went so far as to promise everyone that they would contact Equestria and tell them of the war and everything else that happened. Many griffons, especially those raising families for whatever reason, were hopeful. Equestria meant help and safety, and many flocked to them. But, for whatever reason, they didn't say a peep to Equestria, and many eventually left to join the Pride.

"Then, about a year ago, some guy named Gale became leader of the Pride. He shaped it into what it is now—he bred that hatred into violence—and he vowed to make Equestria pay. No one outside of the Pride took him seriously. Then, your Princess Celestia was murdered." Rainbow awkwardly shifted around, but Gilda continued on. "The first thing Gale did was torture and drown her phoenix in some twisted demonstration before he announced their victory, declared war, and proclaimed himself as King Gale.

"The griffons, they were..." She stopped for a moment and seemed to be in a sense of disgusted awe. "They were so _happy_ when he said that. Not just the Pride, but... most other griffons, the ones who weren't interested in the first place. They pretty much unanimously accepted Gale as the King, and they joined the parade in the skies with Celestia's horn and wings, and they were all chanting 'The Swan is Dead, the Swan is'—"

"I get it," Rainbow said curtly.

"Sorry." Gilda continued. "I guess it was because Gale and the Pride actually _did_ something after years and years of nothing. They recruited for their army, right then and there, during their parade. Well, for whatever reason, the griffons really liked it, and a bunch signed up to join them. They went for Grandpa Gruff, and they... they killed him." Gilda cleared her throat again. "Then we left, those of us who didn't want to join." She looked at her claws.

"Gruff?" Rainbow asked, reaching over the table and putting a hoof on Gilda's claws. "I'm so sorry, Gilda. I can't imagine..." She looked sadly at Gilda. "Is the rest of your family... I mean, are they...?"

Gilda sighed. "No, they're fine, I think. I don't talk about them much. We weren't exactly all happy with each other."

"Really?"

Gilda shrugged. "I dunno. I always got the feeling that my parents felt… _stuck_ with me, like they couldn't do what _they_ wanted to do because of me. They'd try to send me away somewhere, like to Junior Speedsters or Grampa Gruff's." Her face fell. "But then they had my sister, and it all got worse. There was always tension in the house, what with another beak to feed and the house falling apart every other day. Once my parents decided I was old enough…" Gilda paused for a moment and frowned. "… or actually, I guess, when they saved up enough bits, they left Griffonstone. My sister and I ended up moving in with Gruff, but she hated me. She blamed me for everything and then left, going alone. Haven't heard from her since." Gilda pushed her empty bowl aside more and drummed her claws. "I wonder where Gwen is now…"

Rainbow started and nearly choked on her meal.

"Whoa," Gilda reached over and patted Rainbow's back. "You okay?"

"U-uh, yeah, just," she coughed again, "just went down the wrong way." She cleared her throat. "Y-your sister's name is Gwen?"

Gilda nodded. "I'm worried for her, y'know? I mean, she only became a jerk because our parents skipped out on us. She was really my only friend before I met you. With everything that's been going on… I hope she's okay."

Rainbow's forehead began to prickle with sweat. She pushed her bowl to the side and rested her head on shaking hooves. She sprang up. "I-I gotta go. Bathroom." She turned and started running. Gilda stared after her, tilting her head to one side. Several other ponies turned to look. Gilda sat for another minute before slowly standing and following suit.

* * *

Rainbow was leaning against a running sink. She splashed her face with cold water and braced herself on the sink's edge. Attempting to catch her breath, she looked at her reflection. She looked at the scars running along her face. Images flashed across her mind of blood, rain, dog tags, clouds, and that griffon. She stared at the sink's drain, watching the water swirl into it. She was still shaking, focused on calming herself down. She didn't hear the door open.

"Dash?" Gilda looked at Rainbow, who didn't move. "Dash, you doing alright?" Rainbow closed her eyes and started choking up. Gilda walked over to her friend and stood next to her. "What's up, huh? What's going on?"

"I-I-I... c-ca-a..." Rainbow could hardly speak. She still hadn't opened her eyes. She splashed her face again and turned off the faucet. Stepping off of the sink, she turned to Gilda, eyes still closed, head turned to the floor. Her wings were drooping and her ears were flat against her head. Shakily, she started talking again.

"W-what does Gwen l-look like?" Gilda had a little intake of air, eyes widening. A terrible thought had entered her mind. She could feel her heart beginning to hop around in her chest. Rainbow didn't change her position in front of her. Gilda faked a smile and tried to retain her composure. She snuffed out the thought she had and looked back at her friend.

"Well, I guess she doesn't look that different than me." She looked up to search through memories long past. "Uh, s-she has dark purple on her feathers," Gilda gestured to her face and chest, "a beak like mine, except probably more gold. Her back half—legs, tail, paws—all like mine. Same claws, I guess. Um, her eyes,"—Rainbow flinched— "I guess they're also like mine, really."

She looked back at Rainbow, who was still looking at the floor. Gilda immediately dropped her smile. The thought returned, more valid now, it seemed. Though she didn't want to ask outright, Gilda wanted to know a few things from Rainbow. She tried to maintain a happy demeanor, but it took all of her willpower.

"You've seen her?" Rainbow made a little noise, which Gilda took as a yes. "Uh... where? When?"

"F-few months ago. Some c-clouds." She still refused to look Gilda in the eye.

"You sure it was her? There's a lot of griffons flying around—"

"Y-y-yes." Rainbow began crying again, her knees shaking. "S-saw her d-d-dog tags."

"Wait, dog tags?!" The thought intensified. She curled up her left claw into a fist. "Dash, did you fight her?" Rainbow whimpered and laid down. Her temper rising, Gilda grabbed Rainbow's collar. "Dash," she picked up and held the pegasus, "did you fight her?"

Rainbow turned her head away from Gilda, not able to look at her friend. In a tiny voice, Gilda heard, "I'm s-sorry..."

 _"Sorry?!_ What the _hell_ did you do?!" Rainbow didn't say another word. Furious, Gilda whirled and slammed Rainbow into a wall. She began coughing, but refused to look at the griffon. Gilda growled at her. "Look at me!" She didn't move. "Look at me, damn it!" Rainbow still didn't comply. Using her free claw, Gilda grabbed Rainbow's jaw and forced her to look. "What. Did. You. Do."

Rainbow's eyes fluttered open, tears flowing down her cheeks. She made no move to defend herself, remaining limp. "I-I'm... I'm so sorry, Gilda."

Gilda held her there for a few moments, breathing heavily. The thought, it seemed, was true. Rainbow killed Gwen. She stared at Rainbow's eyes. They portrayed only regret, not fear like Gilda expected. Another terrible thought flashed in Gilda's mind to kill Rainbow, and it scared her, making her drop Rainbow suddenly. Gilda's breathing grew shaky, and she backed away from the pegasus, who slowly stood back up. She left the bathroom, tears welling in her eyes. Rainbow followed meekly after her, but, for the rest of the evening, she couldn't find Gilda.


	22. Peaks

**22**

 **Peaks**

By the time Soarin' and Gabby emerged from the bunker with the other griffons and pegasi, the sun had finally set beyond the sea. Thunderhead now slowly floated near the mountaintops, so their journey was shorter than before. The griffons were astonished that a cloud so large and complex could be fashioned by hooves, and Soarin' couldn't help but be amused by their quiet conversations. When he told the group there were two more just like it right up against Griffonstone's coast, a young griffon proudly proclaimed Equestria would win for sure.

Word spread quickly through Thunderhead of the refugees, and there were hundreds of pegasi waiting outside for the new arrivals. Those who were less welcoming kept to themselves. Rather hastily, the warmer pegasi showed the refugees to the mess hall, and the griffons ate heartily. The whole atmosphere of the supercloud became jovial and light. After idly talking for a while with the griffons, Soarin' and Gabby finally managed to split off from them. They returned to the table where they had their dinner to find it vacant.

"Huh," Soarin' said. "I thought they'd be here."

Gabby nodded. "Gilda and... um..."

"Dash. Rainbow Dash." He scanned the mess hall again and huffed softly.

"Maybe she's showing Gilda around the base."

"Hm. That _does_ sound like her." He chuckled. "While we're looking for them, I might as well give you a tour, too."

"Yeah. Oh, wait." Gabby pointed to the far end of the room. "There's Gilda." She was sitting alone, drumming her claws on a table.

Soarin' furrowed his brows. "So where's Dash?"

Gabby shrugged. "Let's ask her." The two started flying over the griffons and pegasi when Soarin' noticed with a touch of worry how cross Gilda looked. They landed, and before either could utter a word, Gilda stood and pulled Gabby over to herself.

"Hey!" Gabby tore herself loose. "What are you doing?"

Gilda's eyes flashed. "We're _going,_ aren't we?"

"Well yeah, but you don't have to grab me. What's gotten you all riled up?" Gilda grunted and started walking away, motioning Gabby to follow. Gabby frowned. "Hey!"

"What?!" Gilda barked.

"What is going on with you?"

"None of your damn business!"

Gabby groaned. "Fine. At least tell Soarin' where Rainbow is." Gilda glared at Gabby and then at Soarin', saying nothing.

"Where's Dash, Gilda?" Soarin' asked. She began walking away again, and Soarin' stomped a hoof on the ground. "Hey! Where is she?"

Gilda glanced back. "Heard you the first time, idiot."

Soarin' grit his teeth, stepping forward. "Where _is_ she?"

Gilda stopped, turning around. "Y'know what? Since you can't seem to take a hint, why don't you go and look for her yourself? I'm sure she'd love to share what she did." She glanced at Gabby. "Come on. Let's get out of here." She turned around and walked to the rest of the griffons. Gabby looked at Soarin' and mouthed the word "sorry" before following Gilda.

Fuming, Soarin' walked through a door out of the mess hall. As he walked, his frustration slowly gave way to worry. Where _was_ Dash? Was she okay? Was she as angry as Gilda? Thinking that the locker room would be the furthest Dash could get from Gilda, Soarin' started winding his way to the opposite end of Thunderhead.

As he passed by other pegasi, he would ask if they had seen her, to which all replied they hadn't. He eventually found himself in the last hallway, which curved around the edge of the supercloud. He hoped she was there; there were too many places outside she could be. Perhaps she was in bed, now that he thought about it. He sighed. He didn't know what he was going to say to her. He didn't know what sort of problem she and Gilda had, let alone how he could help.

There was movement out of the corner of his eye, and he stopped to look through a window. The griffons, flanked by a dozen or so pegasi, were flying westward. He found Gilda and Gabby towards the front and watched them. Gilda still wore a hard expression, and Gabby, along with another griffon, seemed to be talking with her. Soon, the three vanished in the whole, and the flock began to shrink into the horizon.

"I don't get it," Soarin' muttered. "They were fine when I left."

* * *

Rainbow sat alone in the Wonderbolts' locker room, slowly taking her uniform off. Tears fell onto pieces of her armor, but she made no effort to wipe them clean. She kicked off a boot, her last bit of uniform, onto a pile in front of her. She stared at the grey mess and then at her grey hooves. A pair of eyes flashed in Rainbow's mind, and now it didn't matter whose they were. She started to sob, rolling on her side and burying her head in her hooves.

Why didn't she stop? Why didn't she stop when she had won? Why did she have to kill her, and in such a horrid way? She could have just knocked Gwen out or scared her into fleeing. Maybe if she had just left Gwen alone, she could have actually saved somepony. Spitfire might be alive, and Fleetfoot, and Misty Fly, and so many others. How could she have let herself give in to that horrid impulse?

Gwen's blood was on her hooves, forever. And now Gilda knew. Why did Gwen have to be her sister? Rainbow scolded herself. Why should it be different if Gwen was Gilda's sister or not? Rainbow still killed. She tried again to vindicate herself, reminding herself of Gwen's misdeeds, but they did not blot out her own. She just wanted to vanish, to feel no longer this horrid weight in her heart.

"Dash?"

Rainbow shakily gasped, looking at the door. Soarin' stood, his front leg frozen mid-step, with a look of worry on his face. Rainbow hastily made to stand, but she instead tripped over her own wing and fell back down. Tearing up again, she curled up into a ball on the floor.

"Dash," Soarin' said. He was next to her now. She looked up and saw his extended hoof. Sniffing, she took it and shakily got to her hooves. She looked at him for a moment before closing her eyes and turning her head downwards.

With a gentle hoof, he lifted her chin up. "What happened?"

Rainbow stared at him for a few moments and sighed. "I killed Gilda's sister," she said quietly.

Soarin' gasped, letting her go. "Oh. Oh, Dash, I..." Words seemed to fail him.

"Her name was Gwen." Rainbow continued in a voice barely above a whisper. "It was the night we were ambushed. She started attacking me from out of nowhere. She was smaller than me. We fought for a while." Rainbow gestured to her scars. "She gave me this. There was this point where she knocked the wind out of me and circled me, gloating. She said she was the one that killed Princess Celestia. She kept saying how easy it was and how pitiful Celestia was. I was... _so_ angry.

"I beat her right after that. I won. I could've just left her alone after that, but I didn't. I ki..." Her heart felt like lead. "I killed her, strangled her with my own hooves. I didn't realize what I was doing until after I did it. I keep trying to tell myself that what I did was right. I _know_ what I did what right. I _know_ I'm right, but inside, I can't _feel_ I'm right. She killed Celestia, and she killed other ponies, too, but how am I any different from her? How can I forgive myself?"

"Oh, Dash," Soarin' said soothingly, a hoof on her shoulder. "You're _good_. You're a _good_ pony. I know you, and you would never, _never_ kill in cold blood. You aren't like that griffon, like Gwen. What you did was justified."

"I know!" she yelled, startling Soarin'. He backed off, and she half-heartedly reached for him again before putting her hoof down. "I know," she repeated quietly. "I know I'm right, but it's _so hard_ to forgive myself, and now Gilda knows, and I know she's _never_ going to forgive me for what I've done. What am I supposed to do?"

Soarin' seemed to juggle thoughts in his head before he sighed. "I know what that's like."

It was Rainbow's turn to be confused. "What?"

"I know how it feels when you can't forgive yourself and... when..." He quieted. "When you don't know if others ever will." He looked down, scratching one hoof with another, and took a deep breath. "Remember when you told me what Spitfire said to you, about how you were the new captain of the Wonderbolts?" She nodded. "Did you ever wonder... _why_ I agreed? _Why_ I didn't hesitate or argue with you about it?"

"I still think about it, actually. Why?"

"Uh, well, back at the ambush, I..." When Rainbow's face fall, he sighed, and his voice grew quieter. "I... I r..." He cleared his throat. Rainbow turned her head to one side. He mumbled something under his breath, but she caught it.

"You... ran?"

"Yes!" He blurted. "I... I _ran!"_ He spat it out as if it were bitter in his mouth. "I got ambushed by a big griffon, and I was able to hold him off for a while, but then he got the upper hoof on me, and then another griffon showed up, and h-he had a spear, and I-I ran for my life, ran and didn't look back."

He looked at Rainbow as if he were pleading. "When I finally got back to Thunderhead, th-they asked me where the others were. I-I couldn't look them in the eye. I just said that they'd be along soon. But th-then nothing happened. I waited and waited and waited for what felt like hours, but n-n-nopony showed up." He looked away from Rainbow. "I was worried that you died because of me, because I ran. I thought I lost you."

He turned to her again, smiling slightly. "But then you came back. You came back." His smile faded. "But then I saw what they did to you... a-and to Spitfire, and those dog tags. I-I..." His voice began to break, so he took a breath to steady himself. "You were okay, but I felt like a... a traitor. I betrayed our team, abandoned them, left them for dead. I left _you_ for dead. I felt like I got kicked in the gut knowing that you stuck around and looked for the others. I could've helped, but I was too d-damn scared to. A-and whenever I see your face, your scars, I—" His voice broke, and he stopped for a moment, his eyes closed. He sniffed, continuing quietly. "I can't help but think that's _my_ fault, and it reminds me how much I screwed up that night."

He looked at the ground, dejected. "That's why, when you told me Spit wanted you to be the captain, I agreed. I can't be the captain. Cowards can't be captains." He quieted his voice. "I tried to tell you so many times, Dash, but..." He sniffed and looked at her as though he were forcing himself to. "I didn't want to lose you, too. I can't lose you. I care about you. I—" He cut himself off, snapping his mouth shut, and again looked down.

Rainbow didn't know what to say nor feel. She didn't dare think Soarin' was capable of cowardice. Yet, when she thought back to that night, she couldn't think of any other reason. He was back early, with minor injuries and without other tags. He didn't look for anypony else? He cared about his own neck more than his team? She clenched her teeth, almost seething. How dare he run? Ponies could've lived if he had helped. How could he have done this?

At an epiphany, overwhelming sympathy and compassion washed over her. He _did_ know how she felt. He was afraid to admit what he'd done. He had kept that secret for months. She knew how terrible it was to hold back guilt for so long. She couldn't help but feel for him. Thinking about her own sorrows, she knew exactly what he needed. She slowly walked over to Soarin' and hugged him. He gasped and stood completely rigid. He shook slightly, then collapsed to his haunches, sobbing.

"I-I-I'm so sorry," he cried, "I-I'm so, so sorry, Dash. I'm s-sorry."

"I know," she said calmly. "I know, Soarin', and... I forgive you."

"You—?" Soarin' choked up. He hugged her tightly, smiling weakly and crying onto her shoulder. "Thank you! Oh, thank you, thank you..." His thanks and apologies soon trailed off into quiet crying. Nothing more was needed, Rainbow thought, not even so much as a reprimand. What was done was done—there was no changing the past—and his conscience had punished him enough. They both needed to get over what happened.

Soarin' soon calmed down and backed away from Rainbow. He wiped a tear from his face and sniffed. "Sorry. You were dealing with your own thing, and I came in and—"

"No," Rainbow said. "It was good. It helped. Besides, yours is more important right now. Gilda and I can work stuff out later."

Soarin' smiled. "Thanks, Dash. I—" He stopped and glanced behind him, his ears perked up. Rainbow heard it too: yelling, somewhere.

The two walked over to the door and stuck their heads out. Pegasi were scrambling, running or flying through the hallway. One noticed the two and stopped, panting. "Griffons," she said. "They're attacking us and the refugees." She ran off, and the two looked at each other with wide eyes.

* * *

By the time Rainbow and Soarin' got outside, there was a battle covering half of Thunderhead in a shell. Further west, barely distinguishable from the night sky, there was a second, smaller brawl. Everything was softly lit by a half moon and a handful of early stars.

"Well," said Soarin', _"there're_ your griffons. What should we do?"

Rainbow quickly looked at the distant battle, squinting. Were Gilda and the others okay? Rainbow shook her head. "It seems under control around here," she said, not really looking. "Let's go help the refugees." Soarin' nodded, and the two sped westward. They weaved their way through the duels happening all around them and into the open night air. The noise coming from the supercloud had only just faded away when the sounds from the refugee fight became prominent.

Suddenly, Rainbow was grabbed from below by a much larger griffon, taking her up and away. Soarin' turned and shouted to her but too was tackled and carried off. Rainbow was squeezed to the point she couldn't breathe. Kicking, she managed to squirm her way out of the griffon's grasp and put distance between herself and him. He made chase, and, still trying to catch her breath, Rainbow flew up.

She knew she could never overpower him by herself—he had to be twice her size. She scanned around for Soarin' or somepony who was free, but everypony was caught up with their own duels. Racking her brain, she tried to remember what she had both learned and taught during the month of preparation. One lesson surfaced; generally, pegasi can out-climb griffons. Pegasi, thanks to their innate magical ability, were better-suited to high altitudes than their chimerical counterparts. If she could climb high enough, the griffon might realize his disadvantage and disengage, or, possibly, pass out—she would accept either.

Checking her six o'clock, she saw his looming figure. Pushing upwards, she smiled. "Alright," she said to herself, "let's see what you got." She increased her speed, checking the horizons occasionally to make sure she wasn't arcing back towards the ground. She could already feel the air cool down, but her uniform did its job well.

She cleared the last of the cloud layer, and still the griffon tailed her. "Come on," she muttered, "give up already." Her instincts told her to level out and try to out-maneuver the griffon, but she couldn't allow herself to let up now. She checked the griffon again—still following. "C'mon!" What if he out-lasted her? She shook her head. Pegasus magic was on her side. She could do this. However, the air was thinning faster than she thought it would, and she already was slowing down. She shook her head and pushed on. She wouldn't die, not now, not like this.

The air rapidly turned frigid around her, outstripping her uniform's capabilities. She checked below; she could clearly see his eyes. She regretted climbing now, but her fate was sealed. Pumping her wings, with a renewed sense of urgency, she continued to climb. "C'mon... c'mon..." she panted. Fear flooded her light-headed mind. She was going to pass out. She knew it. She was going to pass out and land right in that griffon's claws—or, perhaps, he would let her fall to her death.

"C'mon..." She could feel her lungs starving. Her vision became tunneled, and she blinked in hopes to refocus. "C'mon... come... on..." She had to stop, to dive, or else she would certainly die. She closed her eyes and threw her wings out, reversing direction, awaiting the griffon to grab her and a desperate fight to ensue.

She opened her eyes. The griffon was gone. She breathed out and allowed herself to dive and rest her wings. Taking in great gulps of air, she searched the sky around her. She quickly found him right in front of her—falling, tumbling down to earth. He had gave out before her, probably mere moments before she had quit. She passed him in her dive, and she could tell he was out cold. She closed her eyes again. "Oh, thank Celestia."

As she pulled out of her dive high above the main skirmish, she watched the griffon's body plummet past her. He wasn't going to wake up in time, she thought grimly. Shaking her head, her thoughts turned to Soarin'. She dove again, closing the height gained from the duel. Leveling out again a hundred feet above the battle, she leveled out, scanning the battlefield.

She quickly spotted a grey speck below in the moonlight and recognized it as Soarin'. He was being chased by a griffon and losing. Turning upside down, she tucked in her wings and plummeted towards him. She closed the gap quickly, ramming the pursuant griffon hard. The move left her stunned for a moment, but the griffon had become limp, falling through a small cloud.

"Thanks!" Soarin' yelled, flying next to her again. "Really saved my hide."

"No problem!" she said.

A cry pierced the air from somewhere nearby, making Rainbow's ears ring, and it was repeated over around Thunderhead. The Pride who remained scattered, all shouting "Retreat!" to those still fighting. A few pegasi took off in pursuit but were called back by their flight leads. Almost as fast as they came, the Pride left, seemingly becoming the night shadows themselves. The griffons who remained were the refugees, though they were far fewer in number than before.

"How the hell?" Soarin' said, still out of breath. "Where did they _go?"_

"Well..." Rainbow shrugged. "It's their land. They know where to hide."

"There you are!" Gilda shouted. The two pegasi looked around to see the griffon flying to them.

Rainbow sighed in relief. "I'm glad you made it."

"Where's Gabby?" asked Soarin'. "She alright?"

"Mhm," Gilda said with a nod. "She's checking in on everyone else." Suddenly, she jolted, her eyes growing wide. "Wait, wait, hold on." Gilda hovered over their heads, searching for something.

"What's up, Gilda?" Rainbow asked, trying not to sound concerned.

Gilda was breathing quickly. "Where's Greta?"

"Who?"

"Greta!" Gilda shouted. She shook her head, muttering. "Sh-she's got light green feathers, a-and her coat is sort of maroon." Her breath shuddered. "She has a scarf, and..." She became choked up and hid her face.

"She's probably around here somewhere," Soarin' reassured.

"I don't see her here," Gilda said. "I don't see her, I don't..."

"C'mon, Gilda," said Rainbow, putting a hoof on her shoulder, "let's get back to Thunderhead. You need to re—"

"No!" Greta yelled, smacking Rainbow's hoof away. "We have to find her! We have to!" As Greta continued to rant, not bothering to wipe away tears, Rainbow and Soarin' looked at one another somberly and knowingly. The refugees were slowly being led back to Thunderhead by pegasi, leaving the three behind. "We have to..." finished Gilda weakly.

"Gilda," said Soarin' softly, "we'll try to find her, but I'm not so sure we will." A flash of anger appeared on Gilda's face before going back to fear.

Rainbow gave Soarin' a look, and he quieted. "Let's go to the other refugees," she said. "You can all rest tonight, but tomorrow, you'll all head out again for Equestria."

"No," Gilda said quietly. "I'm staying. I'm going to find her."

Soarin' stuttered. "No, no, you're going. We can't have—"

"I'm staying!" Gilda asserted. She looked between the two, the anger again subsiding. She looked at Rainbow, a desperate look in her eyes. "Please?"

Rainbow glanced at Soarin', who shrugged. She sighed. "We'll see what we can do, Gilda. Until then," she gestured back inside, "let's meet with the others."

Gilda stared at her for a moment, her composure wavering. Her eyes darted down, and her head followed. "Okay," she said weakly.


	23. Solace

**23**

 **Solace**

Luna wandered around the ruins of her old castle for what had to have been the hundredth time. She had lowered the sun several hours before, and the last beams of sunlight finally faded from the sky. Moonlight flickered in and out between pillars and broken walls as she walked, her hoofsteps echoing softly. She felt something, walking alone through this place, but didn't quite know what.

She turned a corner and found herself in a grand room, albeit without its ceiling. She walked to the spiral stairs at the head of the room, exactly where she remembered them. She climbed the stairs, her wing caressing the old wooden banister. The steps creaked and groaned with the burden of a pony, but they did not seem ready to break.

She stopped halfway, gazing at the room she left behind. Tapestries lined the sides of the walls: indigo cloth emblazoned with moons adorned one side, orange cloth with suns on the other. At least, that's how they used to be, and how Luna chose to see them. Now, the colors had faded, growing lighter; the cloth had become tattered, frayed, torn; some were half gone, others just heaps on the floor; one or two were missing altogether.

Luna turned back to the stairs and resumed climbing. She was grateful for the time alone, even if it wasn't necessarily happy. Even after coming back as Nightmare Moon several years before, she never was able to visit the old castle, not properly, not like she could now. At the top of the stairs, she realized what she was feeling: closure. Closure for her actions a thousand years ago, she presumed. It wasn't exactly relief, but it felt as if the world was telling her, "It's done." She cast her eyes again over the room below.

A timberwolf's distant howl snapped her out of her thoughts. She shook her head. She didn't know at that point where to walk. After looking between two hallways on her left and right, she chose the right, leading to the bedrooms. She passed windows, both broken and whole, and made her way through various other hallways and peeked in a few rooms, all in various states of disrepair. She sometimes stopped to look at an old painting or statue she had forgotten about. She was almost to the bedrooms when she passed a familiar set of doors. Their balcony.

She slowly pushed the doors open, and they creaked loudly. She stepped onto the old marble balcony and looked around outside. Attempting to suppress her recurrent nightmare, she looked at the view. It differed greatly from how she remembered it last. Trees had come and gone, she expected that, but what surprised her were the mountains. They had shifted, ever-so-slightly. Some grew taller, others shrunk, and many had moved away from their original spots. Even mountains, as mighty and solid as they were, succumbed to the curse of time.

Breathing a heavy sigh, she turned and walked back inside. The balcony wasn't far from where the bedrooms were. She turned a corner and was shocked to see only one door on the opposite wall. The other, which would have lead to her room, instead was a gigantic hole. By some strange coincidence, filling the hole was her moon, full and bright.

Passing more suits of armor, she walked towards her old bedroom. She looked at the bricks, some as big as her head, splaying where they met open air. Many had charred faces, and she couldn't remember if that had been her or somepony else. She picked up a smaller brick and examined it. One side was completely charred, black, to the point where she couldn't make anything out on its surface. Every other side remained a light grey, and they proudly bore their scars and chips and cracks. In a sudden burst of anger, she cast it on the opposite wall, shattering it, disturbing a few ravens which were near the impact.

Wiping away a stray tear, she walked to her sister's door. Nervously, almost sheepishly, she creaked it open. She saw books strewn about on the floor, some open, others bookmarked, and Luna stood confused for a moment. With a small smile, she remembered this had become Twilight's study after the bombardment.

Luna saw her sister's diary on the bed, propped up on a pillow. She levitated it towards herself but regretted it immediately. She couldn't so much as read a word before she flinched at the sight of her sister's writing. Her heart twisted into a knot once again, and she staggered with a cry. Kneeling down beside the bed, she closed the book and threw it against the headboard.

"Where art thou?!" She pulled at the moth-eaten blankets. "Why didst thou have to leave?!" She took a few shaky breaths to control herself. "I am so alone, Tia. I cannot... I c-cannot do this. Where art thou?" She pulled the musty blankets around herself and put her head in her hooves. "I am so alone... I am so s-scared, Tia. Will I ever see thee again?" She sobbed for a while, her tears soaking the blankets. "I c-cannot keep going, Tia. Will I see thee again?"

She crept onto the bed and lay there, quietly crying. "I am so sorry, Tia. I am so s-s-sorry I left thee. It should have b-been me, not thee. _I_ did this. T-this is all my f-fault... this is all my fault... t-t-this is all... _my_ fault... my fault... I am so sorry... s-so sorry..."

* * *

Luna opened her eyes and found herself lying in an unfamiliar place. She expected to be in her nightmare, watching her sister vanish once more before her, but she instead was surrounded by deep green grass. Confused, she felt the grass with her wings, thinking it might be scratchy or stiff, but it was soft, almost like silk or velvet. She looked around, feeling something was off about the light. It wasn't coming from above, but from nearby.

She saw near her side a thin crystal, about a yard tall, growing out of the ground. It was formed like a white obelisk, giving off soft white light to its surroundings. The crystal emitted tiny glimmers and twinkles of light which floated in the air around it. She looked around and saw more crystals like it, lighting up small patches of grass. She turned her gaze upwards, lost in wonder.

The night sky above her was completely different than she remembered. There were more stars than even she fathomed were possible. The backdrop for the stars was a brilliant and deep indigo, swirling with soft magentas and purples. She stared in awe for a while, wondering who could have painted the sky like that.

She stood, but before she could take a step, she noticed she was near a cliff. Curious, she walked over to the edge. Instead of a river or valley, she saw the shell of purple extend below her and what seemed to be small grassy islands suspended in the air far away. She turned around, completely bewildered, and was met with a more wondrous sight.

In the distance, she saw giant white pillars with beams of light shooting from their peaks. The small white crystals dotted the landscape before her. She discovered she too was on an island, albeit more massive. The pillars far off appeared to have water flowing from their tops, filling small lakes at their bases. Small rivers flowed from these lakes, feeding into bigger waterfalls, which in turn cascaded off of the island into the night sky below. It reminded her of Canterlot but in every way more majestic and more beautiful.

She traced the far cliff side all the way back to herself. She looked around and saw she was on a small peninsula of sorts. It arced to the side for a ways before connecting to the rest of the island. Not really knowing what else to do, she began walking along the neck of land towards the main part of the island.

As she walked, she couldn't help but look across at the pillars. They towered above the grassy landscape, and their beams of light cut into the night sky. She looked down and noticed small alcoves running alongside the island at differing heights. She saw one waterfall flow in between one alcove and the cliff side, disappearing from sight before emerging again at the bottom in a sparkling mist. She was a bit surprised she didn't see any trees or flowers or really much of anything else.

She didn't know what this place was, but somehow she felt safe there, an odd sense of peace and warmth filling the air. She looked to the sky once again. She hoped to spy a constellation she might have missed before that could hint at where she was, but the stars seemed almost completely evenly coated. Only a few outshone others.

"Luna?"

Luna stood rigid, her ears scanning round about her. She looked ahead but could not see anyone. "Hello?" she asked hesitantly. "Is anypony there?"

"Luna?" It was a little louder this time. Luna tried to see if anypony was above or below her, but couldn't see a soul. She wished she could follow the sound, but it was as if the voice emanated from the stars themselves.

"Who is there?" Luna called out, nearly spinning on the spot. "S-show yourself!" She strained her ears, but couldn't hear anything except her own breathing. She began to shake. "W-w-who are you? Why are you here?"

"Luna." Her voice was right behind her. Luna immediately recognized her voice. But it couldn't be her, she thought to herself. How could it be? She slowly turned around and saw a soft white glow. She looked at her face and locked eyes with her, stared at her, dumbfounded.

It was Celestia. She was far more magnificent than Luna remembered. Her mane and tail were no longer full of cool hues. They were pure gold, glittering as though little stars were embedded within, and they billowed out majestically. Her coat was pure white and glowed soflty, and her royal ornaments were not to be found. Her countenance was radiant, and she wore a soft smile.

"T-Tia?" Luna croaked.

Celestia stretched out her wings. "Hello, Luna." Luna's knees shook, and her head swam with doubts and questions. She hesitantly took one step, fighting the urge to stop and think. She took another slow step and the doubts lifted. She ran to her sister and collapsed in her hooves, sobbing. Celestia wrapped Luna in her wings, hugging her. Celestia was so soft and warm, surrounding Luna like a blanket. All of Luna's fears were swept away. It was the happiest she had ever felt, as if her very soul was billowing up in joy, but a single dart of remorse pierced through.

"I-I am so sorry."

"Oh, Luna, whatever for?"

Luna let go of Celestia, looking at the ground. "Thou... thou didst die because of me."

"Luna," Celestia said, lifting Luna's chin to look at her eyes, "why thinkest thou this?"

"Because I..." her voice began to break, "I ran whilst thou wast killed. I-I was a coward, and thou d-didst die because of it."

Celestia set her hoof down. "Thou speakest hard words against thyself, and I see not why." Luna looked confused, her eyebrows scrunched up. Celestial smiled. "Luna, didst _thou_ kill me?"

"I— well, n-no, but—"

"Then, in mine eyes, thou needst not apologize."

"But—"

"Nevertheless, I forgive thee. I forgive thee in hopes thou wilt forgive thyself. I wish for thee to have joy, dear sister, not for thee to dwell on that which hath already passed, that which cannot be changed." Luna's lip trembled, and she lowered her head. Celestia gently lifted Luna's head again and smiled. "Luna, thou art not thy mistakes. Thou must learn this." She sighed. "I am not angered in thy shortcomings, I am saddened. I want thee to grow, Luna. It pains me to see thee unable to forgive thyself." Luna nodded meekly. Celestia looked at her sincerely. "Canst thou do that for me? Canst thou forgive thyself? Canst thou love thyself?"

Luna nodded again, more earnestly. "I shall try, Tia, I shall try." She fought tears again. "I just... I still wish thou couldst be with me. I miss thee."

"As do I thee." Celestia looked around. "Walk with me. I want to talk." She stretched out a wing, turning Luna around, and they began walking towards the white pillars. Luna continued to look downwards, but she felt calm and at peace now.

It was a little while, after they had left the peninsula and reached the main island, before Luna spoke again. "This whole ordeal hath reminded me greatly of Nightmare Moon, yet I feel as though it was far worse this time. I had already learnt my lesson once before."

"This lesson was not the same," Celestia said. Luna looked back at her sister. "Thou first learnt to control thy jealously. Now thou hast learnt to silence thy fears." She sighed. "Thou art not the only one to have learnt lessons, Luna."

"Thou as well? Of what?"

"Only one lesson, one I learnt far too late both times."

 _"Both_ times?"

"Thou first wast jealous of me, and I heeded thee not. Thou then hadst a warning for me, and again I heeded thee not. I could have prevented much sorrow and heartache both times had I listened to thee. It should be me, not thee, who apologizes."

"I..." Luna didn't know Celestia had regretted all of those things. She didn't quite know what to say. "I... I forgive thee. But Tia, surely thou needst not... apologize." Realization dawned on Luna, and she slowed her steps. She hugged her sister again. She had a thousand more questions she wanted to ask her sister, but one stood out among the rest. She felt ashamed, though, and couldn't bring herself to ask it.

"What troubleth thee?" Celestia asked, as if reading Luna's thoughts.

"'Tis nothing," said Luna quickly, "'tis nothing,".

"Come now. I know thou desirest to ask something of me."

"Did..." Luna shook her head, feeling childish. "Did it... hurt? To die?"

Celestia closed her eyes, seemingly deep in thought. She sighed. "If I did feel pain, I no longer remember it." She looked at her sister. "Sorry. I think not that assures thee well."

"Wouldst thou say it mattereth not if I were to feel pain, if I remember it not?" Celestia nodded, and Luna couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief. "That... that does make me feel better somewhat." Luna began to have more courage to ask questions, now that the big one was out of the way.

They continued to walk towards the center of the island. They neared the pillars, and Luna couldn't help but be in wonder. The pillars were actually immense white crystals, giant versions of the small ones she saw scattered around her. The sparkling water appeared to flow from base of the beams of light themselves. The waterfalls on each crystal were somehow more beautiful now than when Luna first saw them. The structures themselves seemed to glow with some form of magic, almost as if they were alive, and they too had tiny glimmers dancing in the space around them.

"Tia," Luna finally asked, "where are we?"

"We are on one of the many Elysian Isles," she said, gesturing to the grand vista, "where I now dwell. As far as I am aware, all those who were morally upstanding in their mortal lives find eternal rest here."

Luna slowed, looking down. "Doth this mean I have passed on?" she asked quietly.

Celestia tilted her head. "What meanest thou?"

"Thou hast passed on, and now I am here with thee in this eternal rest. Would that not mean I have passed on also?"

Celestia smiled soothingly. "No. Thou art not dead." Celestia paused for a moment. "This can all be likened to a dream thou art having in a most deep sleep. Thy spirit is here with me, yes, but thou art not _truly_ here, not eternally. Thy body remaineth untouched in the castle ruins, and there shall it wait for thee to return unto it."

"How dost thou know of a surety it is truly temporary?"

"Look upon thyself, then me. What noticest thou?" Luna glanced between herself and Celestia, and she understood. She wasn't glowing softly like her sister. Celestia chuckled. "Everypony else I have met here gloweth to a degree."

She looked at Celestia, still confused. "But why? _How?_ How did I come to be here?"

"Worry not, for I have brought thee here." Celestia's smile faltered. "Thou wert so despondent and so disheartened, I... I brought thee here for respite and for reassurance, so I could help thee."

"How?" Luna repeated.

Celestia's face fell, and she spoke as though pained. "Thou didst much of the work for me. Thy will and desire to endure wore down over time. It was simple for me. All I needed to do was..." She swept weakly with her wing. "... take thee with me."

Luna stopped walking. "Then why?" she said, now with tears in her eyes. "Why now?" Celestia stopped but did not look back. "Why not many months ago, before these feelings could fester and wither away my soul, yea, my very will, to where it were so simple for thee to take me?"

Her voice began to break again. "I missed thee so m-much, Tia! I cried out to thee d-day and night b-but only felt more wretched, m-more ashamed, more d-disgusted by it! I thought thou wert truly gone forevermore, o-or thou perchance didst live elsewhere only to forsake me!" She stood, shaking. She looked at Celestia with pleading eyes. "Why didst thou wait _so long_ to commune with me?"

Silence followed for a few moments. Celestia hung her head, a glistening tear falling. "I had supposed, if I were to give thee time, thou wouldst find comfort elsewhere. It appears I was mistaken yet again." She turned around, looking at Luna solemnly. "Pray forgive me for grieving thee so." She opened her mouth to speak but shook her head, instead walking to Luna and hugging her again.

Luna collapsed again into sobs, every drop of remorse and neglect in her heart now cleansed with love. It took a few minutes for her to regain her composure again. When she did, she spoke in a whisper. "I f-forgive thee."

They passed more crystals. The tallest of them seemed to form a circle in the middle of the island, and in the center of them was another glowing pool. A glow of red and gold caught Luna's attention, and she looked up to see Philomena, looping and cooing gracefully in-between the white crystals. Luna felt a flash of sadness for the phoenix but was soon enough at peace again.

"Thou art not alone here then?"

"No. We are alone now, for we are on a separate island. If thou lookest around," she pointed to the far horizon, "thou canst see other islands in the distance. There are a most numerous host of ponies in the Elysian Isles, and many were glad upon my arrival. Most, however, were grieved. They thought my return too soon. For a time, Elysium was peaceful. Ponies would trickle in, and I would greet them. Reunions were always joyous. Then I grew saddened, as I began to see ponies arriving in greater and greater numbers."

Luna remembered the newspaper. "The Wonderbolts?"

"Yea. I greeted them one by one as they entered." She sighed again. "That is one pain Elysium hath no remedy for yet. I fear, until all have passed on, pain shall not truly cease."

A thought occurred to Luna. "How is Rainbow Dash?" Celestia tilted her head and furrowed her brows. "The friend of Twilight Sparkle," Luna reiterated, "the Element of Loyalty. Surely thou hadst seen her when she entered. Is she happy here?"

"I do not recall ever meeting her."

Luna's eyes widened. "Does that mean she still lives?"

Celestia nodded. "It would appear so."

"We believed her dead."

Celestia chuckled. "I can tell."

"I need to tell Twilight this! I..." She stood, thinking over _how_ she would explain it all. It was too surreal, too grand. She sighed. "I shall tell her and hope she hath faith enough to believe in my words, and if she hath not, the truth shall manifest itself unto her, I suppose. Eventually." Luna's ear twitched, hearing a voice.

Celestia looked around. "Who is it?"

Luna tilted her head, and her face fell. "It soundeth like Twilight. She is calling for me. But," she looked at Celestia. "I do not want to leave ther."

"Neither did I not want to leave thee."

"Could I not tarry longer?"

"Thou hast duties to preform, Luna, and lives to be a part of. My journey, however abrupt its end, is finished. Thy journey still awaits to be completed. Besides, thou must wake up at some time."

Tearing up, Luna hugged Celestia. "I will miss thee."

Celestia wrapped her wings around Luna. "As will I thee."

"Will I be able to visit thee again?"

"I shall always be with thee." Celestia pointed to Luna's heart. "I shall strengthen thee in times of weakness, I shall comfort thee in times of sorrow, and I shall welcome thee when thou wilt return."

Luna hugged Celestia one last time. "I love thee, Tia."

"I love thee, Luna."


	24. Captivity

**24**

 **Captivity**

Greta woke with a start. She looked around, seeing only grey walls in the dim light shining from somewhere. She shivered, watching her breath rise. She was standing on her hind legs, and her claws were chained to the wall above her. Groaning, she went to hold her throbbing head, but her claws were stopped short by their shackles. Slowly, memories of the previous night trickled back into her mind, and she hit her head on the wall.

"Great," she muttered. She looked around, wondering if she could see anything else in her cell. It wasn't much bigger than a bathroom, and it looked ancient. The walls were made of huge rocks, with giant cracks forming in-between and along their faces. There was a small door in front of her made of some rotten wood. A small barred window was above her, and snow drifted through occasionally.

The chains holding up her claws were actually one chain, and it was attached to a lone hook in the ceiling. She made to jump to get the chains unhooked, but was again stopped short. Looking at her hind legs, she saw they were shackled as well, albeit attached to the wall.

She shivered again. From the looks of the walls and bars, she assumed the place was hundreds of years old, almost like a castle, but she wasn't aware of any castles in the Griffon Kingdom. She thought it might be tucked away in the eastern mountains somewhere, hence the snow.

Suddenly, the door began rattling. She looked up and heard someone fumbling with some keys. The door opened with a small creak, and she saw someone quickly dart away. Peering outside, all Greta could make out were more doors like hers. The figure, who Greta assumed to be a guard, soon came back with another guard, although the second seemed much more decorated. The first stayed outside by the door, and the second came inside.

He stopped in front of Greta and appeared to look her over. Without a word, he would tilt his head to one side, then the other. Then, seeming to make up his mind about something, he flipped up his visor, revealing a questioning gaze.

"I don't get it," he said with an air of sadness. "How is it that a beautiful griffon such as yourself would abandon her kind? And on the dawn of our new Kingdom?" He smiled and chuckled softly. "It's madness. Surely you must realize your folly by now, what with all you have endured. Fortunately for you, we are not unreasonable creatures." He extended a wing and gestured to the door with a claw. "As our King Gale first did, I personally extend to you an offer to return to Griffonstone. We would be remiss if we did not look after our own."

Greta scoffed but otherwise said nothing. The guard ruffled his wings a bit and paced the small room. "Oh, come now. If you would only forsake this foolishness, we needn't have any..." He looked at her and frowned. "Unpleasantness. You could be out of here this day. I'm only trying to be reasonable with you, dear."

"Go to hell," Greta replied.

The guard stopped and stared at her for a moment. "I will give you until tomorrow to think about this. I wouldn't be so quick to refuse this chance." He flipped his visor down and walked out of the room without another word. He whispered something to the other guard, and they locked the door behind them.

* * *

A night passed. Greta woke up, her body cramping and stomach twisting. She had begun to develop a cough from the cold which tore at her throat. Her claws and paws were numb from being chained, and her knees and ankles felt stiff. For the majority of the day, she watched the shapes of light travel from the opposite wall to her feet and then disappear. The door rattled again, and the same two guards appeared. The one who questioned her yesterday stepped forward, visor down.

"Have you reconsidered my offer?" he asked. Greta thickly spat on him. He pulled out a cloth and wiped it away. He turned, whispered something to the guard, and they left. But this time they left the door open. She stared out, wondering why, when the two returned with two more. One carried with him a saw, and Greta felt her heart drop into her stomach.

"Because you so willingly gave up your pride," the head guard said, "you do not deserve your wings."

"No," she gasped.

The head guard nodded his head. The bigger of the other three guards walked to Greta and grabbed her right wing. She pulled it back, but the guard was stronger. He forced it outwards, and the other two guards stepped forward. The one with the saw went to her wing, and the other to the opposite side of her. She tried to pull her wing back again to no avail. The guard placed the saw on the root of the wing and looked back at the head guard. The head guard looked at Greta, who stared back at him. He nodded, and the guard moved the saw blade forward.

An unimaginable pain shot through her entire back, flowing from the root of her wing into the back of her skull and the end of her tail. She arched back and screamed. The third guard punched her in her gut, making her sputter and choke. The second guard continued to move the saw forward and back, ripping and tearing deeper into her wing. Gasping for air, she looked at the one with the saw. He continued his work, agonizingly, slowly. Each stroke sent new waves of pain coursing through her. She saw the big guard pull at her wing, exposing more of it. She soon smelled bone in the air.

She regained her breathing but exerted all of her remaining will not to scream again. After what felt like hours, the one with the saw stopped his work and nodded at the big guard. One sharp pain later, her wing was off. Seeing her dismembered wing was unreal to her. She almost wasn't aware of the pain anymore. She stared at her wing as the big guard tossed it into the corner. The one with the saw moved to her left side, and she mercifully blacked out.

* * *

Her entire back throbbed. She tried not to sleep to spare herself from resting on her wing stubs. She had expected the pain, but she never thought of the intense prickling sensation of torn nerves nor the frigid icicles her shortened bones had become in the cold. She could feel the dried blood sticking in the fur on her back. The guards had left her wings in the corner, and she couldn't help but continue to stare at them. She kept telling herself this wasn't happening, that at any moment Gilda or someone would wake her.

She again watched the sunlight travel from the wall to her feet and disappear. She hadn't had a drink in three days. Her cough had gotten raspier and deeper. Her head felt like it was going to cave into itself. Was this how she was going to die? Of thirst? She began wondering how much water she lost in blood when the door opened again. She sluggishly looked up and saw a small guard with a bucket. She could see shadows in the hallway, suggesting he wasn't alone.

"W-what do..." she said before stopping herself. Her throat felt like it was going to tear itself in half. The small guard hovered above the ground and held the bucket to her face. Her eyes widened as she realized it was water. She looked to the guard, and he tilted the bucket towards her. The freezing water shocked her at first, but she immediately began to drink as much of it as she could, barely stopping to catch her breath. Her throat began to feel like mud, but she kept drinking. The guard pulled the bucket away when half of the water was gone.

Greta shook flecks of water off of her face. She almost wanted to thank the guard, but her throat still hurt. A feeling hit her gut, and she realized she made a mistake in drinking so much. She had an overwhelming urge to vomit, and she fought to keep it under control. The small guard left the cell and closed the door. She continued to will the water she drank to stay inside of her, and after a few nauseating minutes, she won.

* * *

Another day crept by. Greta believed today was her fourth day, but was beginning to feel like the first two days were one. She saw the sunlight again go from the wall to her feet, and waited. She tried her best to ignore her stubs and wings. She could hear other doors opening and other conversations being had and punishments being dealt. She stared at her own door, waiting for someone to walk through it, but no one came.

* * *

The sunlight touched her feet and vanished. She had stared at the door for the last day and a half with no one showing up. Maybe they had forgotten about her. Maybe they decided she wasn't going to break. But wouldn't they just get rid of her then? She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the door open. The same four guards walked in, but this time with a cleaver. She closed her eyes and hit her head on the wall.

"Now?" The guard didn't need to specify. Greta stared at him, not speaking. The guard motioned to the others, and the big guard moved forward and grabbed the tuff of maroon at the end of her tail. She closed her eyes again and waited. She heard footsteps coming towards her and felt the other guard grab her tail and press it against the wall. The sharp wedge quickly went through, and with a loud yelp, a new pain seared up along her tail to her spine, joining the two stubs. The guards bandaged the end of her tail haphazardly and grabbed the discarded tuff and her wings.

"A length for every chance you waste," the head guard said. They closed the door as they left. Greta cried quietly to herself.

* * *

When the small guard with the bucket came in again, Greta knew for certain their pattern. She drank again, more than the first time. Water was her only friend here. The following day, she knew she was right. The day passed without any occurrence. She awaited the third day with a morbid excitement. It would at least be eventful, she thought to herself.

Another day passed. She lost more of her tail. Another day passed. She got a drink. Another day passed. No visitors.

* * *

When the guards returned, they brought with them a griffon prisoner. He was in a state like Greta—lacking wings and tail and obviously starving—but his eyes had been gouged out, replaced with bloody holes. Greta shuddered and closed her eyes. Was that the next stage of the Pride's persuasion? Upon recognizing the prisoner from Griffonstone, she started; she then groaned quietly, for the head guard's eyes lit up.

"Ah!" the guard said happily. "So you two are acquainted? How _delightful!"_

"Please," the prisoner croaked, "just let me go back to—"

The head guard slashed at his face, leaving red rivers between beige feathers. The big guard held the prisoner up by the scruff of his neck. The head guard came forward and looked at Greta.

"You know what I want," he said. Greta glanced quickly between the guard and the prisoner, who shook his head slightly, mouthing the word no. The big guard roughly jolted him, and he was still. Greta looked back at the main guard, who seemed to think he had won.

"You know my answer," she said hoarsely. The main guard curled up his claw and punched Greta in the stomach. While she was gasping for air, Greta watched the main guard go up to the prisoner, take out a dagger, and stab him. The prisoner coughed and sputtered, specks of blood flying out. The guard stabbed him once more, and he collapsed. He took out a cloth and wiped the blade. The big guard dropped the prisoner unceremoniously on the floor, and the two left the room.

When Greta finally regained control of her breath, she looked at the prisoner. He was breathing rapidly, coughing once in a while. Greta closed her eyes and turned away. After a few moments, she felt a claw grab her foot and looked back at the dying griffon.

"I-it's..." The prisoner took a ragged breath. "O-o-kay..." He turned his head to Greta and smiled at her for a moment. Coughing weakly, he let go of Greta's leg. He curled up, coughed once more, and laid still. Greta noticed the crimson pooling around the body, and she began to cry again. None of this was okay.

* * *

She had no desire to drink the next day. As soon as the water hit her beak, though, her instincts took over, and she drank as much as she could. When she finished, and the small guard dragged the body away, she was disgusted with herself.

* * *

She could have sworn the guards would have come in today. No... that was yesterday, wasn't it? Her brain felt thick. She couldn't keep time straight in her mind. All the days had sort of melted into one hellish day. Then the small guard entered her room. Had it been that long already?

* * *

Her tail now a stub, her only visitor was the small guard. He would come in every third day with the bucket. At least he seemed nice, she thought to herself. He never hurt her. But, in a way, he prolonged her suffering. She was just glad those sadistic guards weren't coming into her cell anymore.

* * *

Where was that small guard? He should have been here by now. The sun had long since disappeared, and her throat was stuck to itself. She wanted to call out but couldn't because of the pain. All she could do was wait.

A screech echoed outside. She craned her sore neck to listen better and thought she could hear fighting outside. She laughed, hurting her throat. "About time," she murmured. She listened to the outside, glad something was happening. She wondered if Gilda and her friends were out there, trying to get to her. She thought it was growing louder. In spite of herself, she smiled, even became hopeful.

She heard something else now, coming from the room outside. She held her breath, listening. At first, she couldn't hear anything but the fight outside, but then she heard it again. It was the dull creaks and thuds of other doors. They opened and then closed every minute or so. Some of them were accompanied by by short yells. The sounds seemed to grow louder, getting closer. Then they stopped. Greta stared at her own door, now terrified of it.

* * *

Rainbow and Soarin' flew into the prison unhindered. All of the griffons had been lured outside into a giant furball with the pegasi. The two ran to a giant wooden door, which they hoped led to the stairs. Opening it, they found a long stretch of hallway, some stairs at one end and another wooden door at the other.

"Okay, I think there's at least six levels to this place," Rainbow said. "Soarin', search the bottom three, alright?"

He nodded, then sighed. "I just hope they're alive, Dash."

"Me too," she said solemnly. Soarin' ran to the door, and Rainbow flew up the spiral staircase.

At the fourth door she came across, Rainbow stopped. She slowly opened the door, cursing its creaks, and heard no one. Peeking inside, she could see a giant room. At the far end, opposite of the door she entered, were two doors, which she assumed led to a balcony. All of the doors to the cells were shut. She crept inside, trying to keep as quiet as she could. She creaked open the first door she saw, peered into it, and reeled backwards. A wingless and emaciated mare was chained to the wall, bearing a few stab wounds in her sunken stomach. Rainbow looked away at the door. She debated whether or not to shut it, then decided to just get out.

She opened the door adjacent and, upon seeing another dead pony, flew away, then stopped abruptly. She flew slowly back to the cell, feeling she knew him. She stood in the open door, staring at the body. After a few sickening moments, her eyes widened in realization. It was Zephyr Breeze. He was in a similar condition as the other pony, though he had not been stabbed; rather, his gaunt frame told her he had starved. Rainbow stood in silent horror. She had no idea he was in the air force. Another pony popped into her mind—Fluttershy—and she groaned for her friend. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Zephyr," she muttered.

Rainbow walked slowly now, what little hope she had in finding anyone alive ebbing away at each cell. She flinched less and less as she opened more and more doors to ponies she once knew from Cloudsdale and Ponyville and Stratusberg. She slowly began to realize, with each opened door only serving to compound it, how much the war would affect both pegasi and griffons. The realization shook her deeply, and she had to stop for a moment. How many had died already? How many more in the weeks, months, or even years to come? Casting her eyes back on the row of open doors, she said quietly to herself, "What a waste."

Trotting up to the next floor, she now half-heartedly opened doors and no longer winced. No one was alive. The silence was maddening. "This is just like Trottingham," she whispered to herself. Tears and memories threatened to overwhelm her at that moment, but she fought back. She moved up to the next floor, unsure if she could look another corpse in the eye.

Rainbow jolted. There was a small griffon at the end of the large room walking out of an open cell. Rainbow had to find her voice before shouting, "Hey!" The griffon froze for a moment before running towards the double doors. Rainbow took off after him. He opened the doors, a small flurry of snow entering, and slammed them in Rainbow's face. She was about to pull them open again when a voice from the cell called out hoarsely.

"W-wait."

Rainbow flinched, turning around quickly to face the voice. It belonged to a skeletal griffon, hobbled over and seemingly shuddering under her own weight. She had light green feathers and a maroon coat, and she lacked wings as well as a tail. She was reaching out a claw. Rainbow studied her for a moment, trying to scratch an itch which popped up in her mind. She thought of Gilda, and then a name came to her.

"Are you Greta?"

The griffon's eyes widened, and she nodded shakily. "Y-yes, yes! I-I'm Greta!" She took a hesitant step forward but stumbled. Rainbow quickly went to help her up and was chilled at how light the griffon was. A smile broke through Greta's beak. "How d-did you know w-who I was?"

"Gilda told me about you."

"Gilda?"

"Yeah, she's back at Thunderhead." Rainbow gestured to the other cell doors. "Is anyone else alive here?"

Greta shook her head. "I-I don't think so. He said I-I was the last one."

"Who, that guard?"

"Mhm. H-he didn't talk to a-anyone else o-or spare them. I would've heard."

"Why did he spare you?"

"D-dunno. M-maybe because I-I'm a griffon."

Rainbow looked to the door leading to the stairs. "Look, I need to talk to my wingmate real quick and see how many we have alive here." She began to set Greta on her own feet, but Greta shook her head. "I'll be _right_ back," Rainbow reassured. "This balcony is where we'll leave from, but I can't just ditch my partner. I'll be back. Okay?"

After a moment, Greta nodded once. Rainbow gently left Greta, who once again buckled but motioned Rainbow onwards. The pegasus hurriedly flew down the stairs, making it down a few levels before she hit somepony flying up. She fell down a couple of stairs before stopping herself, her shoulder smarting a bit. She turned and saw Soarin' rubbing his head and getting up.

"Soarin'! Did you find any—?"

He nodded his head, though he looked faint. "But there's so many that are dead."

"But not _all_ dead?"

"No, thank Celestia. I took care of a guard right before the third floor. Only that floor has survivors. The others..."

Rainbow grimaced. "That's better than we'd hoped. Did you tell them—"

"—that we'd send back help? Yeah."

"Good, good."

Soarin' motioned downstairs. "Let's go."

"Wait. I found a griffon at the top floor. Remember Gilda talking about Greta?"

It took Soarin' a moment before his eyes widened. "You _actually_ found her?"

"I think so. There's a balcony up there where we can leave from. I'm going to take Greta back personally."

"A griffon before the pegasi?"

"We'll be back for the others when we have the ponies to move them."

Soarin' huffed. "Alright, but let's hurry."

They flew upstairs and found Greta shakily standing next to the doors. Soarin' helped Greta onto Rainbow's back. Greta winced and weakly cling to Rainbow's neck, and they walked out to the balcony. Blinking and shivering in the bright white outside, they saw the battle a little ways off and Thunderhead looming close overhead.

Rainbow looked to Greta. "You ready?" Greta nodded once, and they all flew off.


	25. Fall

**25**

 **Fall**

When Thunderhead first saw the colossal Tree of Griffonstone, something of a celebration broke out. Victory was in sight. Then the eastern mountains erupted; griffons, cascading virtually out of every crevasse and peak they could hide in and behind, assaulted the supercloud for three straight days. For every two miles Thunderhead trudged forward, a hundred griffons would attack, slowing them down and pushing them back a mile.

Thunderhead began losing pegasi at an astonishing rate, for three pegasi could scarcely kill two griffons with one pegasus limping back. The two other superclouds, Typhoon and Cyclone, were unable to send any support northward to Thunderhead, since they both had been bogged down at the coastline since the war's onset.

The nights only served to further torment Thunderhead. Only occasionally did the moon shine bright enough to where an oncoming attack could be noticed. Even so, the griffons never stopped, sometimes with only ten minutes' time between their attacks. Everypony became an insomniac within days, and soon nopony had the capacity to do anything with great effect.

Many refused to sleep simply for fear of a claw grabbing them through a cloud or a spear jutting up from below. After one unfortunate pegasus fell from the sky in sheer exhaustion, falling asleep became as much of a fear as fighting the griffons themselves. The ever-distant Tree was no longer a beacon of the war's end. It tantalized them, mocked them, dared them to progress, was always within sight but never reach.

After two long weeks, however, the pegasi's luck finally began to turn. The griffon's attacks became less frequent, allowing Thunderhead to progress without opposition for a few precious hours, something that many a tired pegasus took advantage of. When attacks did occur, they were small and disorganized. Some pegasi theorized that they were simply running out of griffons and that they were perhaps throwing the inexperienced leftovers at them.

After another week, Thunderhead broke through the griffons' lines, beating them back to their Tree, and not long after, Typhoon and Cyclone finally left the ocean's air and were above ground. They corralled the griffons, boxing them in. No more griffon attacks came. The Tree, which had caused so much pain and devastation, was about to be felled.

Princess Luna, once receiving word of the air forces' arrival at Griffonstone, cloaked the entirety of the city and much of the eastward Griffon Kingdom in a perpetual solar eclipse. Her moon would play catch-up with the sun, and nary a ray of light hit the griffons. The Tree regained some of its ominousness, now a skeletal silhouette against the twilit horizon. Thunderhead, however, stayed lit, staying just shy of the moon's shadow, and the precious light gave the pegasi on board confidence and determination.

After being vouched for by Rainbow, Gilda was allowed to stay on board Thunderhead under the condition she would be supervised. When Greta was rescued, she too was able to stay. Though grateful at first towards Rainbow, Gilda quickly returned to giving her the cold shoulder. Rainbow wasn't sure if Gilda would ever forgive her for what happened with Gwen, but right before the invasion of Griffonstone, she was afraid there wouldn't be another chance.

Telling Soarin' she would only be a few minutes, Rainbow ran to the two griffons' room. But, when she actually saw the door, her mind stumbled. What would she say? She slowed to a walk. What would _Gilda_ say? How on earth would she approach the subject? Before she knew it, the door was right there. Closing her eyes, wishing she had more time, Rainbow knocked on the door twice. After a small pause, she heard Greta say, "Come in."

Rainbow opened the door slowly, peaking inside. Gilda and Greta were at a window, and they both stood and turned to look at her. Rainbow walked in about a pace, cleared her throat and said, "Hey," quietly.

"Hi," Gilda said coldly, staring at Rainbow.

Rainbow met her gaze for only a moment before at Greta. "I'm just... dropping by," she said. She mentally groaned at her inability to bring Gwen up. "We're about to go, and I wanted to check in with you."

"We're doing fine," Gilda said before Greta could say anything.

Rainbow regretted everything. "Good, good. Um... I actually better get going. See you around." She began walking to the door.

"Wait, Dash," Gilda said. Rainbow glanced back, her hopes rising and eyes widening. Gilda seemed to hesitate, thinking about something. She shook her head and smiled. "Good luck out there." Rainbow, her guilt flooding back, quickly smiled at them and hurried out.

* * *

There was an eerie silence as the various squadrons approached Griffonstone. There weren't lights of any kind from within the Tree. There was no sound except the rushing of air and flapping of wings. The air chilled sharply—nothing their armor couldn't help with, but noticeable nonetheless. Blues, pinks, and purples mixed and swirled together to make the clouds and sky above look like some spectacular marble. One by one, stars were popping into view. Then, all at once, the flock passed into the moon's shadow, and they couldn't help but be awestruck.

The sun was just barely visible as a pure-white, almost ethereal ring around the moon. There were little wisps of light dancing on the pure circle of shadow. The air was now cold like night, rather than the late morning the pegasi had just left. There appeared to be a complete ring of sunset on the horizon, and stars now peppered the sky. The flock, everypony now silhouettes to one another, had slowed down, and all heads were turned heavenward.

"Woah," was all Rainbow could quietly utter.

Soarin' nodded. "It's beautiful."

"And think," Rainbow said, "the griffons have had this for a few days now."

"Hm. Dunno if they think it's so beautiful now."

"Well, it'll make finding the Crystal Heart that much easier."

Soarin' scoffed. "Like they'd keep it out in the open..."

"Hey, I'm just trying to be optimistic."

Below them was smattering of dilapidated straw and timber houses. The quality of the buildings went up the further up in the Tree they were. Sitting at the top was the capital building, casting a foreboding glare to all who gazed upon it. There were no lights coming from within, and Rainbow and Soarin' nodded to each other, breaking off and flying to it without much apprehension.

They heard someone from the main force yell, "Dive, dive!" Other pegasi started to yell, and with their yell growing stronger by the thousands, they all dove, crashing into Griffonstone like a wave. Two other similar waves hit other parts of the city, and fighting broke out almost immediately. Entire branches played host for dozens of little dogfights, weaving between houses and smaller branches. Pegasi and griffons would take turns playing the cat or the mouse as they darted to and fro. Many fights would end up inside a house, where a victor would emerge only moments later to rejoin the fight.

Hovering around the top of the capital building, Rainbow and Soarin' silently motioned to one another to stay quiet. They found an ajar window and slowly forced it open. Creeping inside, they entered a large, dark room near its ceiling. Pulling out their flashlights from their saddlebags, they found themselves in a hastily abandoned throne room, scantily adorned with banners and suits of armor. Their lights hit an elaborate but worn throne up a small flight of stairs, and right in front of it was a large tree stump.

"Hm," whispered Soarin'. "An empty throne room. What're the odds?"

Soarin' looked around the throne itself, but Rainbow was drawn to the stump. After examining it carefully, she noticed it had a triangular notch carved out of its top. It looked to be the perfect size for the Crystal Heart.

Rainbow groaned. "Are you kidding me?" she whispered angrily.

"What?" Soarin' said, flying to her.

She pointed to the notch. "I guarantee you this is where the Heart would be, but there's nothing here."

"I bet Gale took it. Couldn't bear to part with his greatest treasure."

"Great. Now we gotta find him in this fiasco."

Soarin' motioned to the window and started flying. "We'll find him. This place couldn't have been abandoned for long, and the whole city is basically walled-off."

"He better have it," growled Rainbow, following Soarin'.

The two quickly left the building through the window, putting their flashlights away. They soared high above the conflicts below, scanning diligently for a blue glow. After only a few minutes, Soarin' started and pointed at a spot a ways below them. "Is that it? Over at the far edge of the city."

Squinting, Rainbow saw a flutter of a cape and a blue glow dart behind a building. "Yeah!" she yelled, speeding up. "Let's go!"

"Quietly!" Soarin' whispered.

The two kept their altitude, waiting until the griffon was below them. Nodding to Soarin', Rainbow inverted and dove, quickly closing the gap between her and the griffon. Glancing back, Soarin' was still right behind her. They were away from most of the fighting now. They slowed down and landed quietly behind him. They snuck up to him, one on either side of him. The griffon glanced behind himself, saw the two, and jumped, nearly dropping the Heart.

"Easy," Soarin' said, a hoof outstretched. "Gale, right?"

"Y-yes," he stammered, "but you s-stay away from me!"

"Just come quietly. We—"

Gale suddenly screeched and flew towards them. The two ducked as the griffon swiped at Soarin' and flew off. The two took after him, staying on his tail. He flew up the mountain, weaving through and around branches, houses, and other fights. His flight stopped at the edge of the Abysmal Abyss. He peered over the cliff and shivered. He whirled around to face the two, the glowing Heart clutched to his chest.

"You're through, Gale!" Rainbow barked. "You've lost! Hoof it over!"

Gale's eyes darted behind him, and with a gasp Rainbow realized why. He spun around and held the Heart above his head. Both he and Rainbow shouted "No!" before he cast the Heart down into the black abyss. Rainbow flew at Gale, but he took off, a small cloud of dust left behind. Rainbow hit the ground near the abyss' edge. She watched the Heart hit something far below and shatter, its blue glow snuffed by the darkness. She could hear the thousands of shards raining downwards, hitting the walls and spreading out, their quiet tinkles eventually becoming engulfed in the howling wind. It was gone.

Rainbow felt hollow. Her heart beat slowly, thudding against her chest and in her ears. She stared into the void in disbelief, tears welling in her eyes. "No," Rainbow finally croaked. "It c-can't have... A-all those ponies..." She shakily got up and looked up at the retreating silhouette. "You bastard..." She took a deep breath and pounded the ground with her hooves. "You _bastard!"_ She leapt in the air and pumped her wings furiously, and Soarin's pleas to stop went unheard.

Gale had punched through a layer of low-hanging clouds in his escape. Rainbow followed through the same hole but lost him on the other side. She wildly looked around, caught sight of him much further off, and took off in pursuit again. She knew she could easily close the gap between them, but she didn't want to overshoot her attack. She sped up and paid mind to how Gale was flying. He was going south, unvarying. She flew below him and sped up, trying to catch him in his stomach.

Gale quickly looked back at Rainbow and started to climb. Rainbow groaned and pulled up in an attempt to cut him off. She slammed into his back, holding his wings and front legs to his sides. Rainbow couldn't keep both of them airborne, and they began to slowly fall back downwards. Gale, managing to rip a claw free, elbowed Rainbow's visor and caused it to spiderweb. Stunned, Rainbow lost her grip, and Gale kicked her away.

Rainbow regained her balance and slammed the visor open. "How the hell?" She shook her head and continued her pursuit. Gale continued to climb and fly farther from Griffonstone. A feeling of unease began to fester in Rainbow's mind. She glanced behind her, but Soarin' wasn't there. Her heart quivered. She looked forward and saw that she had lost ground. She urged her wings to go faster, and she quickly caught up again.

She grabbed the hem of his cloak and yanked it toward herself. She threw a punch at his head as he passed, but he took hold of her hoof and hurled her forward over him. He then flew at her head, aiming a swipe at her now exposed eyes. She ducked, the claws scraping the top of her helmet. She punched him in his stomach and followed with another punch at his chin. She attempted to kick at his chest, but he grabbed ahold of it with one claw.

She tried to kick it away, but the claw might as well have been a clamp. With his free claw, he pulled Rainbow to him by the bottom of her helmet. She attempted to wriggle free, pushing him away, but he jolted her once. She glanced down at his neck and gasped. He was wearing the Alicorn Amulet. His eyes flashed green and red, and she looked at them. They stared at each other for a moment, him with contempt and her in fear.

 _"Leave."_

Rainbow stiffened, images of Trottingham returning. The back of her head began to throb. It was him. He was there, talking to her. Gale twisted her leg and shoved her head away, sending her spiraling, and he again started to fly further away.

Rainbow stabilized herself and stared after him. Her heart beat violently as though it were trying to escape. Questions began to pepper her mind. The Alicorn Amulet? How did he get it? Wasn't it at Zecora's? How was she supposed to fight him? It was bad enough he was a griffon, but now with the Amulet... And his eyes. Trixie's eyes had changed, but not like that. Had she seen those eyes before?

She again looked around for Soarin', discovering instead she was unable to see the ground anymore. She looked back at the far off griffon and hesitated. Coming up with no alternative, she continued her chase, catching up quickly. Gale glanced back, and Rainbow saw another glint of green and red in his eyes. He turned around, throwing his wings out and slowing himself down, his cloak enveloping him completely in black. The Amulet glowed red, and an instant later, Rainbow's eyes were flooded with bright light, and she too threw out her wings. Blinking away the white, she could feel rain and something else on her face; her helmet was gone.

"Wait, what the...?" She felt the three long furrows along her cheek and winced. They were sticky with blood. "What?" Her brain tingled as if she hadn't been breathing. She forced her eyes to see, and, squinting at her hoof, she saw scarlet dripping down the sides, interrupted by patters of raindrops. Her attention now drawn to the rain, her mind scrambled for context. "Wh... how...? What? How did he...?" She looked at her hoof, now mostly cleaned off. She looked around, sweeping every cloud, and spotted a figure where Gale was moments ago. Her insides grew cold.

"Soarin'?"

* * *

"Dash?! Dash?!"

Soarin' flew erratically over Griffonstone, glancing at everything that moved. He zipped past the few remaining pockets of fighting, barely giving himself enough time to look at any one place. Princess Luna's moon still blocked the sun above. The fighting had slowed to a crawl through the city, and many griffons had surrendered already. Soarin' kept calling out for her name, muttering curses at himself. He checked every pegasus body strewn about that he came across only to grow more frustrated and scared.

Someone shouted his name, but he ignored them. A talon grabbed his hind leg, and he kicked wildly.

"Soarin', stop!"

He turned around and could barley register the griffon's face in the darkness. "Gilda?" he said. She let go of his hoof, and he turned faced her. "Gilda, what're you doing here? I thought you—"

"Greta's fine," Gilda said. "I came here when I heard about Dash."

Soarin's heart thumped loudly against his chest. "I can't find her! Have you seen her? I've looked everywhere, and I can't find her! It's been over an hour, Gilda! I can't find her!"

"Soarin', you need to calm—"

"Dash!" he yelled, his eyes darting all around him. "Where are you?!" He began to fly up, but Gilda grabbed his tail.

"Get ahold of yourself!" She yanked him to the ground and grabbed his shoulders.

"No!" He tried to push himself away, squirming and flapping his wings. "Let me go! You don't understand! She's _everything_ to me! I _have_ to find her! Let me go!"

Gilda jolted him once. "Calm. Down. _Breath_. You aren't gonna find her acting like a lunatic." He tried pushing her away again, but she shook him roughly. "Listen to me, Soarin'! I know you want to find her, and I do too, so we're gonna work together. Alright?" She let him go with a shove. "Alright?"

"Yeah," he said, taking short, quick breaths. "Okay."

"I'll..." She grimaced and shook her head. "You're better at flying than I am. I'll look through the streets. You go for the clouds, alright? I'll find others to help."

Soarin' nodded, and, his eyes darting around again, he took off straight upwards. He stopped a few hundred feet up, chose a direction, and started flying. "Dash! Dash, where are you?!"

There was nothing. Nothing. Nothing but dark skies and darker clouds. He yelled at the sky and broke apart clouds. He called out again and again, but other than echoes, the sky and clouds gave him nothing. He strayed further and further from the city, the sounds of dwindling battles growing softer and muddled with the wind. He yelled out her name until his voice tore at his throat.

At one point he stopped, spinning around. Had he checked there? Had he checked here? Everything melded into one blur of black as his eyes watered in frustration and guilt. He wanted to scream, but his throat protested. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. trying to think. He started breathing quickly, and it turned slowly into a raspy and mirthless laugh, then a small, piteous cry.

He looked around wildly. He had forgotten where the city was. He could no longer hear anything except himself. He flew in a tight circle but couldn't see anything past the darkness. "Where is she?" he muttered weakly over and over. "Where is she? Where is she? Where is she?"

He shook his head, clamped his eyes shut, and focused. He held his breath, trying to calm his heart. Then he heard something above him. A whimper. He burst through the cloud layer and looked quickly around. He saw her: a dark figure huddled on a small cloud. Aside from her absent helmet, she looked fine. He breathed a shaky sigh of relief and began flying over to her.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash!" he said hoarsely. "Thank Celestia! I thought—" He gasped. From between her eyelids, a soft green glow forced its way out. The glow partially illuminated her face, which was contorted in pain. A thin trail of purple smoke emanated from her eyes, and her ears laid flat against her head. She trembled heavily, and she held in her hooves and wings a cloud, her face half buried into it.

Soarin' stared for a moment, completely petrified. "What the hell did he do to you?" Almost afraid to touch her, he lightly landed on the cloud. He crouched down and shook her gently. "Dash?"

"S-Soarin?" she barely whispered.

"Dash, I'm right here." He rolled her towards himself. She continued to shake, grimacing. "Dash? Wake up, Dash." His heart leapt around. "Dash, please! Wake up!" He picked her up and held her in his hooves. She still clung to her cloud. "C'mon, Dash, wake up! I'm right here! Wake up!" He shook her again, and she didn't stir. He started to tear up. "No, please! Please wake up! Rainbow Dash!"

All at once, the purple smoke and green glow vanished, and she was still. Her eyes fluttered open and looked directly into Soarin's. "Dash?" he asked tentatively.

Rainbow launched herself onto Soarin' and hugged him. He hugged her back, caught off-guard. Her hug slackened, and she collapsed on him, sobbing weakly on his shoulder.

"Shh," he soothed. "It's okay, Dash, I'm here. I'm here."

She took a shaky breath. "Y-you were... I-I-I thought you..." She choked up.

"Everything's alright, Dash. You're gonna be okay. I'm right here." Rainbow tried to talk again, but it came out as more stammering. He pet her mane softly. "Shh. Just breathe, Dash. Calm down. You're gonna be alright. I'm here. You're safe."

They sat in silence on the dark clouds, hugging each other. Soarin' continued to gently reassure her. He could feel her heart slowly calm down and her chest stop heaving. Her crying subsided little by little, being replaced with sniffs and the occasional hiccup. She hugged him more tightly.

"I love you, Soarin'."

Soarin's ears perked up. Her voice was barely louder than the breeze. For a moment, he doubted, but warmth filled his chest. He wrapped his wings around her, holding her closer.

"I love you too, Dash."


	26. Retribution

**26**

 **Retribution**

Gale flew haggardly, still meandering south. He often glanced behind him, making sure that no pegasi were following. The black cape twisted against his tail, and he kicked it off for what had to have been the tenth time in the last hour. He ran his claws through the feathers atop his head to allow air to flow, casting aside a few of them. He glanced behind him again and hit a cloud. Furiously, he batted it away, soaring upwards before quickly tiring. He stopped, heaving, and he resigned to sit on the same cloud.

 _"What art thou doing?"_

The voice was as a gentle parent. Gale stumbled midair, his front legs windmilling. He shook his head, which began to prickle with sweat. He laughed timidly. "I thought I could perhaps rest a moment."

 _"Hm."_

"But j-just for a moment, I swear!"

 _"Thinkest thou the ponies resteth, that they pursue us not this very hour_?"

"I know they're after us," Gale said, inching closer to the cloud, "but my wings and chest are shot. I need to rest."

 _"No. Thou must continue onwards, or—"_ Gale scratched at the Amulet. It became like ice, and he stopped, shivering. The voice grew coarse, and Gale closed his eyes tightly. _"What said I about the Amulet?"_

Gale held his head, which began to hurt. "I-I know what you said. It's just—"

 _"Do not touch it again. Continue on your southern course."_

With a reluctant sigh, Gale turned away from the cloud. Looking down, he saw the coast giving way to sea. The setting sun lined the far away crests of waves in gold. There was another coast not too far off, and beyond that, shrouded in dark clouds, there was a volcano. All at once, Gale knew. Dragons.

He wanted to ask why, but the Amulet already knew his thoughts. _"Yea, we are going to the dragons. Dost thou doubt me?"_

Gale shook his head quickly. "No, n-never! I j-just—"

 _"Then do as I command. The dragons will aid us."_

Gale checked behind himself again. His wings somewhat mercifully became numb from flying. He flew upwards and then glided down, trying to conserve what little energy he had left. It would take another few hours before he would reach the dragons, and he wasn't sure he would be able to make it to the beach, let alone the volcano.

The Amulet pulsed cold, and Gale tensed. It was thinking, Gale could tell. Everything from his sight to his hearing appeared to slow slightly as his brain grew fuzzy, though it didn't last more than a moment or two.

 _"Knowest thou why I chose thee?"_

"What?" Gale stumbled his thoughts. "You? B-but I thought that I—"

 _"Nay!"_ the voice declared. Gale trembled. _"It was I that chose thee! Me!"_ The voice quieted but remained imperative. _"I chose thee because thou hadst the will, yea, the conviction, to see thy way through to the end. None other hath had such determination or strength. They all too easily cracked under the power they were blessed to have, instead acting upon impulse and fear. Thou hadst not done thus, nor didst thou show signs of doing so. That is why I chose thee. With mine aid, I had allowed thee to make thine own decisions, and we together brought to pass a great many things. We were aligned in purpose."_

Gale felt his throat grow cold. "W-were?" he said quietly.

 _"The Crystal Heart."_

The Amulet felt tight around Gale's neck, and he cleared his throat. "What about it?"

 _"Why didst thou forsake it?"_

Gale felt his heart drop. "They were after me, a-after that thing!" he protested. "I had to get rid of it! What did it matter to you anyway? You—"

With a stifled screech, Gale writhed in midair, losing his cape. Every nerve in his body felt as though they had been stabbed through with white-hot needles. The Amulet gripped tighter around his neck like icy claws, choking him. His whole body was so cold it felt as though it burned.

The voice remained calm. _"Everything. The Crystal Heart meant everything to me, Gale."_ Gasping, Gale grabbed at the Amulet's edges but couldn't find them. _"I thought thou wert better than this, better than those before thee."_ Instead of feathers around the Amulet, he felt freezing crystals, and he clawed at them desperately. _"Thou hadst me. Why didst thou fear?"_ Gale could feel each feather around the Amulet grow cold and stiffen into crystals.

 _"Now, because of thine insolence, I must fix what thou hast broken."_ Surrounding feathers also began to change, and, like agonizingly slow dominoes, his chest, back, and wings all became black crystals. _"Thou hast interfered with which thou couldst not hope to understand."_ His fur began to crystallize, each hair stinging him like a needle of burning ice. _"I will not allow thee to further my pain."_

All at once, the process and voice seemed to stop. Gale's trembling eyes watched his claws no longer obey him, neither his wings nor his legs. They acted on their own will, or rather, of the Amulet's, keeping him hovering over the ocean. The sun had long since vanished. Gale could scarcely breathe again, taking the tiniest of breaths. He could feel, one by one, the feathers change on his chin, around his beak, around his eyes. With hot tears, with a beak chattering from the cold, he took a strained breath.

"W-w-why a-are you d-doing this?"

 _"I need to."_

Gale felt something frigid pierce forth from his skull. Then he felt nothing.

* * *

Spike teetered on top of a ladder, trying to put one last book back in its place. He was in the more preserved part of the library, finishing up one last stack of books for Twilight. He slid the book in and wiped his forehead. "Done," he said. "Finally."

He was halfway down the ladder when he stopped to scratch his neck. He then noticed he was glowing gold. He looked at himself, stammering, nearly losing his grip on a rung. He sighed in exasperation. "Come _on,_ Ember. What now? It's nearly night."

Grumbling and itching, Spike slid down the rest of the way and walked to the door. He began opening it but stopped. Something felt different about this summons. A cold, dark feeling spread throughout his body, and he shivered slightly. Now worried, wondering what was happening with Ember, he ran to the Princesses' meeting room a little ways down the hall. He opened the door and his mouth but stopped upon seeing Twilight alone, her head on the table and her shoulders heaving.

"Twilight?"

She jerked up, looking at him through tears. She blinked them away and cleared her throat. "Spike? Are you glowing?"

"Yeah," he said, walking over, "dragon stuff, but why are you crying? What happened?"

"U-um..." She bit her lip. "Luna was dreamwalking with her generals this morning, with the whole invasion thing that was going on. She left around noon for Griffonstone with the treaty." She smiled weakly. "We won. The war's over."

Smiling greatly, Spike started to whoop and holler, jumping around the room. He looked at Twilight, expecting her to be joyous, but she again looked somber. He stopped, holding a hoof of hers with his claws. "But... that's not it, is it?"

She shook her head and took a deep breath. "The Crystal Heart. It's gone. Gale threw it into some abyss, and it shattered. They can't get the pieces back. The abyss is cursed or something."

Spike understood but couldn't fathom it. "So the Crystal Empire...?"

Twilight looked away from Spike, tears welling in her eyes. "Gone," she whispered. "Forever."

"Everyone?" asked Spike quietly.

Twilight, unable to suppress herself anymore, started to sob openly again. She hugged him tightly, and he tried his best to comfort her. He shivered again, his teeth chattering, and Twilight slowly regained herself.

"So," she said finally, "u-uh... Dragons." She stared into his eyes, seemingly evaluating him. "Oh, Spike. I don't know if I want you to go. It's so close to Griffonstone."

"But you said the war's over."

"That doesn't mean it's safe."

"It never was."

Twilight sighed, tearing up again. "Spike. Please."

"I needed to go last time," he said insistently. "If I didn't then, things could've gotten bad."

"And you did your part then! Why would they need you now? Ember's in charge now; they're okay over there!"

"No, Twilight. This is different than last time. Something's happened. Something really, really bad. I can feel it. This—" he gestured to his glowing self "—is different. I need to go." Twilight looked to cry again and hid her face. Spike groaned. "Twilight—"

"I can't!" Twilight yelled suddenly, startling Spike. She breathed shakily. "I can't, I can't..."

"What do you mean, "you can't"?"

She looked at him. "I can't lose you too. I-I've already lost Rainbow and Celestia, a-and now I've lost Shining and Cadence a-and Flurry, and I j-just... I _can't_ lose you, Spike. I _can't."_

Spike snapped a claw. "Then come with me. Like last time."

Twilight gasped softly. She studied his face and then looked down, her brows furrowed. After a while, she sighed. "No, Spike. I'm sorry."

Spike threw his arms up. "Why not?!" He pointed in no particular direction. "Something's going on over there! I need to go!"

Twilight jumped up and stomped on the ground. "No!" She choked back more crying. "No, you don't. You're going to stay with me, here, where it's safe."

Spike crossed his arms and turned around, walking away. "What, am I just supposed to sit around, glowing and itching and shivering? This is stupid! You _know_ this glowing thing doesn't stop unless I go! What am I—"

A purple bubble of magic popped on his head, and he started swaying. Twilight picked him up and put him on her back. He was already fast asleep but still glowed. She walked him to his bed, tucked him in with an extra blanket, and kissed his forehead.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Good night, Spike."

* * *

As she hit the ground, Ember came back to reality. Coughing, she saw through tears remnants of purple smoke dissipating in the air above her. She saw the small cliff above her where she was just a few minutes ago. She expected to see her scepter next to her, but it was gone. Slowly getting up, she looked around. The dragons which were roaming a while before were now gone.

"What?" she mumbled. "Where...?" She winced and grabbed her forehead. She now remembered the black creature. It looked like some crystalline perversion of one of Equestria's princesses with a similar-looking amulet. It demanded the scepter. Ember refused, and it blinded her. Then she had a nightmare, worse than even she could have conceived. She looked back up the cliff and groaned. "Great," she muttered. "Lost the scepter. Dad's gonna kill me." She took one staggered step before she nearly lost her balance. "Dad!"

She leapt up, urging her bruised wings to fly. They permitted, but not without protest. She made it to the top of the cliff and looked to where Torch had stood. Upon seeing him, she choked on a gasp and fell out of the sky, landing hard on some rocks. She again stood shakily, her gaze unbroken. A colossal and jagged black crystal jutted from the ground and ran through Torch, keeping him standing like a model on display.

Ember slowly walked toward her father, each step reaffirming unyieldingly what she saw. Only after a dozen or so paces did she finally allow herself to understand what happened, and she collapsed once more on the rocks, roaring and crying.

* * *

Throughout Griffonstone, pegasi were patrolling the streets, searching every home and alley for any stragglers. Most griffons who hid now surrendered. Small skirmishes popped up here and there, but none lasted more than a minute or two. Luna had arrived that evening and had set the sun, finally allowing the city to see some light, albeit from a crescent moon. The terms of surrender had long before been drafted by the Princesses. A group of ten griffon representatives were reading it over with Luna and surrounded by two dozen watchful pegasi.

In the south, a low rumbling shook the otherwise still air. Luna heard it, along with a few others, but they brushed it off. A second one came, louder this time, and more heard it. They turned their heads south but couldn't see anything. One pegasus flew up and towards the sound. A few more followed him, and they flew until they disappeared into the horizon. A third sounded, louder still, and it seemed to be joined by a choir of others. The group of pegasi streaked across the skies towards Luna. The griffons parted, still talking quietly about the treaty. The pegasi landed in front of her, completely winded.

"What is it?" asked Luna. She could feel the fear they had brought. "What did you see?" All of the pegasi shook, none able to look at her. Finally, one managed to choke out a word.

"Dragons."

Almost on cue, another sound like thunder rippled across the sky. Squinting in the horizon, Luna could see a thin dark line growing wider against the violet sky. She tuned back to the pegasi. "Anything else?"

The same pegasus nodded. "The one in front looked like it was made of some sort of black glass."

"Black glass?"

"Yes, your Majesty." The other pegasi nodded.

"How many?" Luna asked.

"We don't know," a different one said. "There were too many."

Luna looked between each face. "What of their intentions? Did they look to fight us?"

"They were in formation for sure," the first one said, "which is why we ran, but I guess that doesn't mean they're gearing up for a fight."

Luna looked back to the horizon, her lips pursed. "Go back. Ask them what they want." The group of pegasi shakily saluted her, and they flew back towards the horizon. Luna sighed and turned back to the griffons. "What say ye to the treaty?"

The griffons fidgeted. One cleared her throat. "To be unified with Equestria is something most unprecedented. I understand the reasoning behind it, and it hurts to say I agree with it. Our bruised pride notwithstanding, I feel most other griffons would understand and agree too, given the alternative has brought only destruction upon us all." She took a deep breath. "We accept the treaty." The other griffons all nodded solemnly.

Luna smiled softly. She levitated the parchment and quill to them, and, one by one, some hesitantly, others hastily, the ten griffons scratched onto the document their names. Luna rolled it up and sent it to Twilight in a green flame. There was another rumble to the south, and the pegasi watching over the proceedings gasped. Luna turned around and saw tiny shoots of orange highlight the silhouettes of dragons.

"Uh," a pegasus guard said, "I don't know about you, your Majesty, but that seems hostile to me."

"Stay here," Luna said. "Get the pegasi and griffons together. We are one nation now. If they mean war, we will fight them as one. I will try to speak with their leader." The pegasus saluted, and the guards left along with the ten representatives. They rounded everyone up, hastily organizing them. Luna flew up to meet the newcomers.

Luna finally got a good look at the dragons' leader, but she wasn't sure at first what the creature was. He was smaller than the dragons he led but slightly larger than herself. His figure was illuminated by four red glows, two of which were his eyes. Luna couldn't tell which way he looked other than by the turn of his head. The third red glow was about his neck, but Luna wasn't sure what it was. The fourth glow came from his scepter, which he held in his claws. In the moonlight, he looked to be black and crystalline, unlike anything she had seen before. He had a jagged crystal coming out of his head like a unicorn's horn, but his great wings were more like a griffon's than a pegasus'.

The creature saw Luna and stopped. Holding the scepter out beside him, he halted the hundreds of dragons behind him.

"Who are you?" Luna called to him. He didn't move.

 _"Luna."_

Luna gasped, her fur standing on end. His voice came from her own mind, which began to tingle. It was the same voice she had heard when Ponyville was bombarded. The creature's mouth didn't move, but he spoke, directly to her. The pegasi and griffons around her noticed her reaction, and they became even more frightened.

 _"I have waited so long to see thee,"_ his icy voice continued. He chucked, unnerving Luna further. _"I nearly sent forth these dragons behind me to burn this city to cinders, along with every soul within and around it. I would have turned a blind eye if they became... carried away and... wandered off to Equestria. Seeing thee here in the flesh, however, hath changed my mind. After centuries of waiting, after finally seeing thy face again, I ask of thee but one thing: come thou forward and fight me."_

Luna tried to keep her composure, but she couldn't help but tremble. Who was this creature? How did he know her? His voice cut her thoughts off. _"This war needeth not more blood shed nor lives lost, Luna. Let it be between thee and me, as it ought to have been from the beginning. I promise thee, if thou wilt come forth, whatever the outcome may be, these dragons will be stayed. I have waited far too long for this, Luna. Come thou forward and fight me."_

She quickly scanned the dragons behind the creature. There had to have been hundreds of them; even with both griffons and pegasi fighting, the dragons would surely win. She had no choice. Taking a deep breath, she flew towards him. He nodded once and motioned forward with the scepter. The dragons advanced, and Luna stopped, looking around wildly.

 _"I am merely having them watch the spectacle along with the others,"_ the creature's voice assured Luna. _"Hast thou no faith in my word?"_

The dragons, much to the alarm of the griffons and pegasi already there, sat around them, making themselves comfortable. The creature turned his attention back to Luna and closed the gap between them. The pegasi and griffons, growing confused and afraid, began anxiously calling out to Luna. She opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by the creature's voice.

 _"Speak not, for I have already spoken to them all. It is between me and thee."_

Looking back at the creature, trying her best to ignore the pleas below, she continued to fly. She racked her brain, trying to think of how she could possibly win against him. He was made of crystal, or at least had crystalline armor. Any spell she cast wouldn't affect him. The creature stopped and stared at her. She had to stall, to think of a strategy. Instead of meeting him, she slowly began to circle him. Seeing this, the creature again advanced. Behind him, Luna spotted the silhouette of a slender spire atop a building. If she couldn't injure him, she thought, perhaps that could.

She flew up, narrowly missing a swipe by the creature, and gained altitude rapidly. Snapping her wings closed, she dove, again missing the creature. She glanced behind her, and the creature already was diving after her. She focused her attention on the spire, plummeting straight into it. At the last second, she unfurled her wings and grazed the spire's tip. She heard the creature run himself through the spire and yell, and she turned around.

The creature was impaled through the chest. He had stopped a few feet down the spire at its base. He writhed for a second, then stopped, twitching. The scepter dropped from his grasp, and a grey-armored pegasus swooped in and caught it, handing it off to Luna before returning to the cheering crowd below. Luna sighed in relief, allowing herself now to catch her breath. She closed her eyes, resting a moment.

The creature groaned, and Luna's fur stood on end. She looked back to him, her heart pumping. The creature arched back, looking wildly around. His glowing eyes locked with Luna's, and she couldn't move for fear. Below, the cheers silenced. The creature looked down and grabbed the spire's base. After a shove to loosen himself, he began pushing himself slowly back up, claw over claw, using his wings as well.

"How?" Luna said with dread. "How is he still alive?"

With one last push, the creature freed himself. Luna could see clearly the hole in his chest the spire made. He hovered in place, staring at her still. _"Thou coward! Face me!"_ The creature lunged forward, roaring, and, with a start, she began flying again. Before she knew it, the creature grabbed her from the front, pinning her wings closed with his claws. He beat his great wings, carrying her up away from the crowd. He began to crush her, each of the crystal shards digging into her coat, and she screamed. She tried to escape his grasp, but the more she moved, the worse the crystals pierced.

 _"Look at me."_ She stopped writhing, now looking fearfully into his eyes. Her brain prickled over. _"Rememberest thou not my voice, Luna?"_ Her eyes darted to the third red glow, and she gasped. The Alicorn Amulet? She looked back into his eyes, unbelieving. Before she could think another thought, the Amulet latched onto her neck, and darkness consumed her sight.


	27. Soulless

**27**

 **Soulless**

Luna woke, breathing heavily. She stood alone in a claustrophobic cave. The rocks were shades of dark blues and blacks. She then noticed it was cold. Bitingly cold. She held her wings close and her ears flat. Her short fur fluffed out, and her sweat froze where it was. Every breath she took seemed to drain away heat, and it felt as though her blood had become slush. She felt something cold around her neck, but nothing was there. She remembered a spell which could warm her, but when she tried to cast it, her horn didn't even glow.

There was a blue light coming from behind her which illuminated the cave. Turning around, Luna saw a bright blue and white fire, much larger than herself. The flames shot forth from a fissure in the ground, and a little ash fell around it, leaving a thin layer on the ground. It crackled away invitingly. Shivering, she trudged towards it, but something was wrong. As she got closer, the air around her grew more frigid. The fire itself was cold.

Luna stopped, nonplussed. "What?" she muttered through chattering teeth. "What is this?" Looking up, she realized the ash was really snow. Now she was nearer, the crackle of the fire sounded more akin to crushing ice. Luna backed away, trying desperately to warm herself up. She looked around herself again. There was only her and this freezing fire in the small cave. A cold, dark feeling filled her heart. There was a gust of wind behind her, causing her to shudder.

"Luna."

Luna gasped. She recognized her sister's voice again, and for a moment she became excited, but something about her sounded different. Luna turned around apprehensively and saw Celestia, standing in front of the freezing fire and smiling at her. She looked as she had before her death—her mane and tail were no longer gold, her coat no longer glowed, and she even wore her regalia—but again a sense of unease filled Luna's mind.

"Tia?"

"Of course."

Luna squinted at her, trying to match anything to her doubts. "But how? Where are we? Why doth my magic not work? This is not the Elysian Isles, and thou art not as thou wert before."

"Even so. I am here."

"But _where? Where_ are we, Tia?"

"It matters not. I am with thee." Celestia walked to Luna, her wings outstretched. Luna backed up a pace, the unease turning to dread. The back of her head started to prickle. She took another look at her sister's kind face, and she reluctantly let her sister hug her.

Immediately at Celestia's touch, the wind was taken from Luna's lungs. She felt as though she just plunged into ice water. Celestia grabbed her tightly, wrapping Luna with her wings. Luna pushed away, trying to breathe. She kicked at Celestia, trying to scream but unable. She finally wrestled away from her sister's grasp, shivering violently, and her lungs worked again. "Thou art _not_ my sister!" she gasped. "Thou art _not_ Celestia! Avaunt!"

Celestia's smile vanished, becoming a stern line. Luna's heart twisted, and she staggered to the ground with a yelp. Through freezing tears, she saw four scarlet stab wounds appear, one by one, on Celestia's white chest. Celestia remained stoic, blood now dripping onto the floor and oozing down her legs. Her mane and tail stopped flowing, becoming limp. A sharp crack sounded, and her horn clattered on the cave floor. Her wings tore themselves off slowly and rested on either side of her, her stubs bleeding. Blood ebbed from her mouth and nose, and cuts appeared all over her body. With eyes now fogged over, she still glowered at Luna.

"Thou couldst have saved me," Celestia said, her voice raspy and hollow. "Why didst thou run? Why didst thou abandon me? Why didst thou forsake me?"

"Thou art not my sister!" Luna choked out.

"No!" Celestia thundered. "I _am_ Celestia! Look at me! I am dead because of thee! Look at me, Luna! Look!"

Luna's heart still twisted, and her ragged breath rose in front of her. Celestia began to walk in a circle around her, still staring. Luna's nose was soon filled with the smell of death. Celestia's face started to slip, showing more clearly her eyes and teeth. Hairs from her mane, tail, and coat started falling unceremoniously to the ground. Her cheeks became sunken, and her ribs and spine grew prominent. Her tiara and chest-piece fell with sharp clatters. Her coat made apparent the skeleton which hid underneath. Her eyes slowly withered away, leaving behind dark sockets, but she still stared. Luna looked away, her brain throbbing and prickling.

"No!" Celestia shouted, her voice rattling. "Look at me! Look!" Luna was forced by something unseen to watch again. Chunks of Celestia's skin fell, revealing yellowed bone and blackened carrion. Flesh began to drop to the ground underneath her as she continued to walk. Her now reddened shoes fell to the wayside. Her organs, no longer restrained by flesh, also fell, leaving behind empty cavities. With every step she took, another chunk of her body hit the ground with a sickening plop. Soon, all that remained of her body was a yellow skeleton and a blackened, beating heart. Celestia stopped in front of the freezing fire and faced Luna.

Luna still knelt on the ground, her heart threatening to rip in half. "Thou... art not... Celestia."

The skeleton cocked its head to one side. The black heart finally ceased, and it turned into shadow. Luna screamed, the pain in her chest shooting to every fiber in her body. She collapsed, and the pain stopped all at once. Luna lied there, wheezing, her heart quickly but weakly resuming its job. A cold, bony hoof tilted her head up to gaze at the skull. The skeleton slowly turned from yellow to black, and it too turned into thick black smoke. Everything which had fallen off also evaporated. The smoke churned in front of her, spinning faster and faster, and it coalesced into another figure. The smoke holding Luna's head was now a grey hoof. A pair of green eyes emerged and stared at her. He smiled.

"Luna."

Her eyes widened, looking at someone she never thought she would see again. "Sombra?"

Sombra let go of Luna, and her head hit the ground. Her brain stumbled with this new revelation. Sombra looked as he was before his fall. He was without his armor and red robe. His horn was not red and curved but was as a normal unicorn's. His eyes weren't red as before but were a light shade of green. She tried to pick herself back up, but, her energy sapped, she fell back down. Sombra sat down between her and the fire, as if waiting for her. While she lied there, shivering weakly in the oppressive cold, he didn't look the slightest bit uncomfortable. Luna finally found her voice.

"Brother?"

Sombra frowned. "Hm," he said. "After all that has happened, thou thinkest of me yet as thy brother?" Luna stared at him but had no reply. "Hm." Sombra stood and began pacing around her again. Luna slowly and shakily sat herself up, watching his movement. Her teeth chattered, and she held her wings and ears close to herself. She noticed her own mane and tail lying limp on the ground. She could not yet find the energy to stand.

"Where are we?" she asked.

He stopped again between her and the fire, and he gestured to the cavern with a wave of a hoof. "My hell." He titled his head in thought. "Well, to say that would be disingenuous of me. Our souls are within the amulet's gem. For the last millennium, this hell hath been my home."

Luna looked him again, still bewildered. "But how art thou alive? I thought—"

"Thy pawns killed me not," Sombra interrupted, "not utterly. When ye banished me—yea, tried to kill me—my soul fled here, to my amulet, and I have lived in it and through whosoever wore it. I was so desperate to live, but being in this infernal place for centuries only to be nothing more than a cold parasite to the world is a miserable existence.

"When my time had come, when the Crystal Empire returned once more, I was awoken. For a happy and brief moment, I lived in mine own body before your pawns came and took away my life. Once more, the amulet and its host were the only body I had. Most ponies who crossed my path I deemed unfit to wear the amulet. Gale, the griffon through whom I lived these past two years, was one of the few who not only knew and respected the power which he wielded but also took heed to my commands. He was a most proper host for me."

Luna still couldn't understand. "But why didst thou do this? Why cause all this suffering and destruction?"

Sombra stood and glared at Luna. "Darest thou cry to me of suffering and destruction?" He huffed and paced again. "I sought to reclaim what was once mine when I no longer needed merely to survive. I took advantage of the griffons in Griffonstone, learning of their avarice and resentment, and fired up their thirst for bloodshed. I knew the Crystal Empire and its inhabitants would be preserved in the Frozen North if the Heart were removed, as it had been for the last thousand years, so I had the griffons take it thence and bring it unto me."

He stopped again, but this time he was behind Luna. "For damning me for those centuries, I had meant to have both thee and Celestia killed, but thou didst survive. I presume it is better this way. I was able to talk to thee before I killed thee myself."

Luna looked at the blue fire in front of her and with wide eyes understood. She hastily stood and whirled around, facing Sombra, her breaths distinct in the air. Sombra was in her shadow now—she could only see clearly his green eyes. She became lightheaded and stumbled, and Sombra laughed.

"Ah!" he said. "Found thy second wind, no?"

"Sombra," she pled, "do not do this!"

He stepped forward, making her step closer to the fire. "Not so fun, is it, to be faced with utter destruction?"

Luna stood her ground. "Sombra, I know how thou feelest!"

"Lies!" He stepped right up to her so they were face to face. "Thou knowest not how a millennium of isolation feels! A thousand years of cold, of darkness, of hopeless despair!"

"I _do_ know!"

"Lies, lies!"

"I speak truth!" Luna slowly walked around Sombra, away from the fire. "I too was overcome by evil, by hatred. I too was banished for a millennium by my sister, trapped in a dark and cold embrace—within my very moon." She stopped, placing Sombra between herself and the fire. "I harbored these terrible feelings of jealousy and hatred until Celestia and her friends showed great kindness unto me. I know how thou dost feel."

Sombra scoffed. "And yet thou hast done nothing to help me."

A sense of guilt filled her chest. "I could have been thee, Sombra. The only difference between me and thee was her. I had her. Thou hadst no one."

"Because ye both forsook me!" Sombra shook in anger. "Where where ye? How did ye respond when I returned the first time? Ye were not there, save your pawns. They killed me! Killed me, Luna! Why did Celestia save thee and not both of ye me? Were ye unable?"

"No—"

"Was I not worth saving?"

"Sombra—"

He stomped on the ground, cracking it. "Answer me, Luna!"

"I _did_ try to go! As soon as I heard thou hadst returned with the Crystal Empire, I begged Celestia to let me help thee!"

"And Celestia wanted not to save me?" Luna didn't answer. Sombra spoke again. "Why didst thou not come of thine own accord?"

"Celestia told me to stay."

"Thou didst act solely upon her words?"

"I trusted her!"

"But why didst _thou_ forsake me?"

"Thou wert evil!"

"No more than thee!"

"I changed!"

"As would I, but ye gave me not the chance!"

"Thou wert never penitent in the first place!"

Sombra threw his head back and roared. "That did not give thou and Celestia the right to take from me what I loved most!"

"What?! The Crystal Empire was cursed by _thee!"_

"No!" he thundered. "Not them! My daughter!"

Luna gasped softly. "Meanest thou Cadence?"

"Speak not her name."

Luna squinted at him. "What business hast thou with her?"

"What business?" he asked incredulously. "She is my daughter!"

"She never knew thee as her father!"

"I never had the _chance_ to be one to her! Ye took my chance away from me!"

"We never took her from thee! Thou didst curse her to the future when thou didst condemn the rest of the Crystal Empire to the Frozen North!"

"To protect her from their fate!"

"She lost countless years with her fellow ponies, Sombra. She had to grow up in a world she was never to be a part of. She asked Celestia and I countless times who her real parents were, and we had not the heart to tell her of thee. Think of how she would feel, knowing who her father really was, why he was not there for her."

"Ye told her not even of her mother?"

"No, for we feared it would lead to more questions of thee."

"She had a right to know the truth!"

"The truth of what? That her mother died in foaling and her father became a fallen king because of it?"

"Silence! I shall not hear any more of this!" He shook slightly, but Luna sensed it wasn't anger anymore.

"How would we have explained to her what thou didst, how thou didst turn to dark magic and let its power consume thee?"

"She would have known how much I loved her mother, that I sacrificed myself for both of them!"

"By losing thyself to the darkness, Cadence lost both of you! Who truly sacrificed here?"

Sombra closed his eyes and stamped the ground. "Thou dost not understand! I tried! I tried to resist! I tried, but I could not! When I was unable to resurrect her, I could no longer fight the dark magic's temptations!"

"And now thy daughter lieth dead in the Frozen North because of thee!"

"No!" Sombra yelled, taking a step towards Luna. "That was _never_ my intention! It was that damned griffon who broke the Crystal Heart!"

"Knowest thou she had a daughter?!"

Sombra's retort died before it escaped his lips. The look of fierce anger on his face slowly gave way to one of shock. To Luna's surprise, the cave grew colder, and the fire's flames shuddered. "What?" he asked quietly.

Luna lowered her voice. "She had a foal, not a few months old."

"No." He looked about Luna's face, as if looking for a sign of deceit. He shook his head slightly. "No."

"She was a little pink filly with a purple and blue mane."

"No..."

"She had the brightest blue eyes thou wouldst ever see."

"S-stop..."

"She was an alicorn, the first in so long. She was loved so dearly by Cadence and Shining Armor, her husband."

"Please..."

"Her name was Flurry Heart—Flurry for the Frozen North, Heart for the Crystal Heart." Luna, unable to think of anything else, shrugged. "Now she is dead, lost to her namesake because of her namesake." The cave grew colder.

A glistening tear rolled silently down Sombra's face. "I knew not Cadence had... had _wed_ somepony, let alone had a foal with him." He sat and looked down. "In my mind, _she_ was still my little filly. She had just learned to walk when I sent her away." He started to choke up but cleared his throat. "When I finally found her after so many years, I... I hardly recognized her. She was an alicorn, something I could not attain, something I always wanted her to achieve. I was so proud of her, and I hated myself for being absent from her life." He sniffed. "And now thou tellest me she was a mother also?" He closed his eyes, forcing out the welled-up tears.

Luna sat in front of him and laid a hoof on his shoulder. He was like ice, but she ignored it. "Is this why thou didst all this? The war, the killing, the destruction? For Cadence?"

He looked at Luna and nodded quietly. "I wanted to _be_ her father, to _be_ the father she never had. She never stopped being my daughter. I never stopped loving her."

"Sombra, this was not an act of love. This was selfishness."

Sombra looked down again, his voice a whisper. "Was that too great a request, to finally be a father to my daughter?"

She put her hoof back on the ground, sighing. "Sometimes, for those we love, we have to give up what we want the most, yea, even our greatest and most sincere dreams and desires."

He looked up. "And if they are one and the same?"

"Was thy happiness worth hers?"

Sombra winced. "No." He shook his head slowly and wiped his eyes. "No, it was not. I realize now, but far too late for her sake. Now she is dead. Dead, along with a family I never knew."

Sombra idly traced with his hoof in the thin layer of snow. "How many more have I killed for my selfishness? How many lives have I cut short, stolen away? How many families have I shattered? How many parents are without children and children without parents because of mine actions? How many graves have I caused to be dug, names to be etched, coffins to be sealed, farewells to be given? How many have died by my hooves?"

Luna sighed. "I do not know." She stood and offered a hoof. "But there is yet hope for thee, Sombra. Let me help thee."

Sombra shivered slightly. "What hope?" His two quiet words echoed in her mind, and she winced. He continued quietly. "I had hoped I could save my wife. I had hoped thou and Celestia would help me. I had hoped I could be a father. I had hoped I could save her. I had hoped there would be few who died. I..." He choked up, and, after a moment of stuttering and fighting it, he silently cried.

Luna had the split-second thought to hug him, to comfort him, but she remembered the feeling of an icy drowning. She looked over Sombra, who paid her no mind. She could feel the air becoming more and more frigid, as if the cave and fire matched Sombra's grief. Bracing herself, she hugged him, but to her surprise, nothing happened. Sombra weakly hugged back, now openly sobbing on her shoulder. They held one another for a long time, not speaking. When Sombra finally quieted and let go of Luna, he looked exhausted. He hung his head and breathed raggedly.

"There _is_ hope, Sombra," Luna said. "When I returned from my banishment, I could not look Celestia in the eye. I thought she would surely destroy me then. I believed myself beyond forgiveness, beyond mercy, because I had shown none unto her nor others. Yet she did. Celestia welcomed me with an open heart and bore no ill will towards me. She was overjoyed at my return."

"Didst thou kill anypony?" Sombra asked weakly.

Luna hesitated and sighed. "No."

"Then of course thou wert forgiven. I cannot seek forgiveness from the dead. There is no hope for me." Sombra shakily stood and slowly walked to the freezing fire.

"Sombra?" Luna asked, standing. "What art thou—"

"This fire destroyeth souls," he said, stopping. "When I pass into it, as I ought to have done when I first fled here, no part of me shall exist." He turned around, facing Luna. She could only see his mournful green eyes in his silhouette. "I have done so much wickedness unto thee and unto countless others. There is no redemption for me."

"No! Sombra, please listen to me!" She took a step forward, but the cold already was unbearable. She reached out to him. "Do not destroy thyself! Thou canst still change and do good! I thought I had lost thee once! Do not leave me again! Please, Sombra!"

A single tear fell. "Forgive me, Luna."

"Sombra, no!"

He turned and leapt into the freezing fire. He was swiftly lost in the blinding white, but his screams echoed sharply in the caves. Luna ran closer to the flames, looking desperately for him, but the fire's cold was like a wall, and she backed away shuddering. The fire burned brighter and colder, and Luna held a wing up to shield her face. His tortured screams finally died out as Luna's vision became white.

She blinked furiously, trying to see. She immediately was surrounded by warm air, which shocked her. She breathed in the air deeply, and her whole body filled with warmth. She was hovering again, and there was nothing around her neck. She could feel again her injuries, and she winced. She heard worried voices below her.

Her vision coming back, she saw the audience of pegasi, griffons, and dragons she and Sombra had left behind. Sombra's crystal body had shattered on the ground below her. Nothing had moved—not the crowd below, nor the moon above, nor a surrounding cloud—as if no time had passed. The audience all hushed, looking at her attentively. Looking at her hooves, she was surprised to see the Dragon Scepter still in her grasp. She looked back at the crowd, sighing deeply.

"Sombra," she whispered, "I hope thou hast finally found some peace. I am truly sorry for how it all had to end."


	28. Equinox

**28**

 **Equinox**

"Once again," Princess Luna proclaimed, "I commend you all greatly on your valiant service to Equestria, and I thank you for your devotion and sacrifice. I shall see you all home soon. And, to all you new Equestrian citizens, I hope we can together build a more peaceful and harmonious nation and never again witness conflict between us. I bid you farewell." She bowed her head to thunderous applause from pegasi and griffons alike.

Earlier that day, after conversing with an older, more sensible dragon, Luna had commanded all of the dragons to return to their home, and that they were to send Ember to Equestria as soon as possible without trouble. Because she wielded the Dragon Scepter, they all complied, some rather bitterly, and they quickly flew south. Luna kept the Scepter with her with the intent to return it to the rightful Dragon Lord when they finally met.

Luna bowed one more time to the crowd and turned to the two dozen royal guards behind her. Nodding to them, she took off, flying gracefully westward. The royal guards followed suit, and they all soon vanished beyond the horizon.

After the crowd dispersed and having not seen them anywhere, Rainbow and Soarin' searched for Gilda and Greta. After checking what they initially thought to be an abandoned street, they saw two griffons sitting in front of a house, one strumming a guitar. Rainbow was about to continue on when she recognized Gilda's and Greta's silhouettes. She motioned Soarin' to be quiet and stop. Squinting in the dark, Rainbow realized with a pang of sadness the house they were front of was Gilda's home. A disjointed but melancholy tune echoed through the air. The two pegasi couldn't help but stand and listen to it.

Whenever she would mess up, Gilda would stop and keep trying the same few notes over and over again, and Rainbow could faintly hear her muttering to herself. Greta would whisper something, and Gilda would nod and try again. Rainbow and Soarin' slowly walked over, startling the two somewhat when they got near. The pegasi didn't say anything; they just sat down next to the griffons. Gilda half-smiled, and she continued to learn how to play the guitar.

Rainbow looked around herself while she listened. She hadn't noticed before, but much of Griffonstone, save the rebuilt capital building and a few other governmental buildings, still looked the same as when she had last been there with Pinkie. Everything was still in disrepair. Many of the houses and businesses still sat dilapidated. The library somehow looked even worse than it did before. Debris and garbage littered the streets and alleys, along with a few bloodstains here and there. Statues of the past kings of Griffonstone had eroded away further, the notable being exception a pristine marble statue of Gale at the bottom of the capital building's steps.

Rainbow shook her head. Even with all of that plundered gold, Gale didn't seem to spend a single bit on the citizens. What a waste. How did they put up with him? Were they that afraid of him, of his power over them? Surely they would not have been content living in squalor. How was the average griffon's life here under his rule? When all of the fit were sent off to die and the war only worsened, what did those who remained do? Waited? Hoped? What for? Did they think Gale would win? Did they think Equestria would wipe them out?

A discordant note pulled Rainbow from her thoughts. "Damn it," Gilda muttered, silencing the strings and groaning.

"You'll get the hang of it," Greta reassured.

"You're a million times better than what I could ever do," said Rainbow.

Gilda scoffed. "Thanks."

"Are you two going to stay here?" Soarin' asked.

"Yeah," Greta said. "Well, for now at least."

"What?" Rainbow asked. "Why? I thought you hated this place."

"Well," Gilda said, "we've been thinking. Remember when you and Pinkie came here, and you wanted me to spread friendship here when you left?" She chuckled nervously. "Huh. Guess I didn't do too good of a job."

"Both our faults," added Greta weakly with a shrug.

Gilda waved at the air with a claw. "Anyway, we think Griffonstone needs some of that friendship now more than ever. In a way, this is the best time for it. Dunno how many griffons would've listened to us before."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Rainbow asked.

Gilda nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh, hell!" Soarin' blurted, hopping into the air. "Thunderhead's leaving!" Rainbow looked up where he was pointing. Sure enough, the cloud behemoth was already about a mile from the coast and slowly lumbering to the west.

"C'mon, Dash!" he said, flying towards it. "Let's go! Oh!" He stopped and quickly waved below. "Bye, Gilda and Greta!" The two waved back, and he zipped off towards the departing cloud.

"Well..." Rainbow stood to leave. "I guess I'll... see you two around. Goodbye." She paused for a moment, but Gilda said nothing. Rainbow sighed and began to fly away.

"Hey," Gilda said. "Wait." Rainbow stopped and looked at her, her head turned slightly. Gilda stared at Rainbow, seemingly evaluating her, and then sighed. "A-about... Gwen."

Rainbow flinched and looked down, landing softly. "I... I'm so sorry, Gilda. I didn't—"

"It's fine," Gilda interrupted, holding up a claw. "I just wanted to say that..." She took a deep breath. "I forgive you."

Rainbow stared at Gilda and stood nonplussed. "You... what?"

"I said I forgive you," Gilda repeated quietly, setting down the guitar and standing up. "Gwen, she... she wasn't doing the right thing, a-and she was trying to kill you too, so I mean... I understand what you had to do. I wish that it wasn't my sister, but I can't change that. It was her choice, I guess, so... I can't blame you." Gilda's eyes glistened. "No. I _shouldn't_ have blamed you. I know no one in their right mind just kills someone, especially you, and I know that if you knew who she was, or if it could've happened any other way, you wouldn't have killed her. War just... it just... _sucks."_

She looked away from Rainbow, wiping her eyes. "When you told me the truth, about what happened that night, I was so filled with... _hate_. I-I couldn't..." She took a shaky breath. "I needed some time, but that wasn't fair to you. You already had that noose around your neck for months, and all I did was tighten it. A-and then, you found Greta. You brought her back to me. I-I didn't think I'd ever see her again. I didn't know _w-what_ to think of you then."

She struggled for words for a few moments before sighing and continuing quietly. "I'm sorry. I'm... _so_ sorry. I'm sorry for being so terrible to you and being stubborn about it all, a-and I'm sorry for not listening to you. I'm sorry I wasn't a friend at all to you." She sniffed. "Again." She looked back at Rainbow, who was herself on the verge of tears. "Can we... Can we start over? Can you forgive me?"

Rainbow smiled and flew over to Gilda, hugging her. "Yes. Yes, I forgive you. And thank you, _thank you_ for forgiving me."

Gilda sniffed. "I'm gonna miss you, you big dweeb."

Rainbow laughed. "Same here."

* * *

Ember was fortunate that the Equestrian Air Force at the coastline recognized her as the Dragon Lord. Once she expressed the direness of her situation, a handful of pegasi escorted her to Princess Twilight's castle with haste. Ember's wings already felt as though they were about to pop off with the trek across the ocean, but now she had to consciously think of not simply quitting midair. They flew through the night mostly in silence. Ember dreaded how much destruction the dragons had caused already, and she hated herself for so easily breaking.

They finally arrived in Ponyville when the sky in the east was starting to lighten. Two guards at the castle's front door noticed them and watched with wary eyes. Ember collapsed onto the ground, panting. The pegasi quickly helped her up, walking with her to the guards. She stood on her own, wobbling slightly.

"I need... I need to talk to Princess... Princess Twilight."

The two guards looked at one another and scoffed. "No can do," one said.

"No, no, no, listen." Ember walked to them, stumbling a bit. "I need to talk to her. I'm the Dragon Lord, Ember. My scepter was stolen from me, and—"

"I know I'm interrupting what was probably a well-rehearsed story," said the other guard, "but the Princess wouldn't even be awake at this hour, much less have a meeting with you."

The first guard pointed at Ember and looked at the pegasi behind her. "Did you put her up to this? I know the war's over, but pulling a stunt like this—"

"No!" yelled Ember. "You don't understand! I have to talk with Princess Twilight! There are dragons on the way!"

"Would you idiots stop stalling?" one pegasus yelled at the guards. "She's telling the truth!"

"Oh, what," the guard retorted, "I'm just supposed to step aside now?"

"It'd be the smart thing to do," another pegasus said. "We're wasting time here!"

"I oughta—" began the other guard, but from behind, the doors opened slightly. Spike poked his head outside, yawning. He was no longer glowing.

"What's going on?" he asked sleepily.

"Our apologies," the guard said, bowing slightly. "We were just about—"

"Ember?" Spike walked outside, his expression now one of open worry. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

"You can't be serious."

They were in the map room. Twilight, who sat in her chair, stared at Ember, shaking her head slightly. Ember, sitting in Rarity's, nodded earnestly, not saying a word.

"This is bad," Twilight said, a hoof holding her stomach. "O-oh, this is bad."

"What do we do?" Spike said, standing from his chair and looking between the two. "We have to do _something."_ Neither responded. "We have to do something!" he reiterated, getting frustrated. "Luna's over there! We can't just sit here and—"

"I know, Spike!" Twilight snapped. She wiped a tear from her eye. "I-I just don't know what."

"You have nothing to fight them with?" Ember asked in a defeated tone.

"N-no. One full-sized dragon is bad enough. _Hundreds?"_ Twilight hung her head. "I feel like I'm going to be sick." She looked back at Ember. "And you're _sure_ the amulet looked like an alicorn?" Ember simply nodded, and Twilight again looked down, murmuring quietly.

"Uh, Twilight?" said Spike, tapping her shoulder. "Is it me, or did the room suddenly get brighter?"

"What?" Twilight looked up, blinking away tears. "What are you talking about?"

"It looks like someone raised the sun."

"Huh?" Twilight looked at the orange sunbeams shining through the windows, stunned. "The sun? I didn't raise the sun. How is that—"

A guard burst into the room, startling the three. About to speak, he recoiled, clearing his throat. "I apologize. Princess Luna has returned."

"She's—" Twilight's eyes widened. She looked between Ember and Spike, each wearing a stunned look as well, and then looked back to the guard. "What?"

"She returned just a few minutes ago and raised the sun. We didn't know where you ran off to, so she sent us out through the castle. She needs to talk with you right away. She says she's utterly exhausted."

"Is she alright?" Spike asked nervously.

The guard nodded. "She has an odd-looking scepter with her, too."

"Is it made of blue crystal," said Ember, standing up, "with a large red gem at the top?"

"Yes, actually," said the guard. He titled his head to the side. "Is it yours?"

Ember looked at Twilight with a wide grin. Twilight started laughing in relief.

* * *

After returning the Dragon Scepter to Ember, enduring a barrage of questions from Twilight, and sleeping through most of the rest of the day, Luna decided she would pay a visit to a certain cherry tree. She arrived at Canterlot when the volunteers who were still working on the city's restoration had just retired for the evening. Luna kept her altitude just above the streets as to not draw unnecessary attention to herself, slowly making her way towards the small garden in the southern part of the city.

She couldn't help but feel happy. The streets were alive again. Ponies went about their business as they had done before the war. Colts and fillies happily ran and played around without fear. Though some buildings still bore the scars and burns of the attack, most were as pristine as they were before. The smell of oil still lingered in certain parts of the city, but it was finally fading away.

Luna made her way closer to the city's edge, and through a small archway, she found the park with Celestia's tree. Though it was mid-September, the soft pink blossoms still adorned the branches. She landed and walked over to it in reverent awe, passing from grey cobblestone to white flagstones. The grass here was impeccably short, soft, and a deep green. Small patches of roses and white alyssums lined the edges of the park, and their soft aroma filled the air. Luna stopped short of the tree's trunk, looking at the white stone before it. A small gold sun was engraved into the surface, and below it was a gold inscription:

 _Princess Celestia_

 _Honored Leader • Revered Teacher • Beloved Sister_

Luna lied down in front of the humble headstone. She gazed at the tree, letting the pleasant fragrance of her surroundings fill her lungs. Sunlight flitted between the blossoms and branches. Petals fell intermittently, catching a beam or two of the sun before fluttering down below the cliff. It was the first time she felt truly at peace since...

"It is finished," Luna said finally. "Finished. It is hard to believe it is actually over. All these months. It is almost... strange." She laughed lightly. "Canst thou believe it, Tia? Thinking normality to be strange. It is as if... as if everything in the past few months had momentum and wanted to keep going but suddenly stopped, and I was thrown forward. That had become the new normal, the new routine, and going back to what once was seems..."

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Though, I suppose nothing can truly be normal again. Much was stolen from us, and much cannot be restored. So many are gone now. How could things ever return to normal?" She glanced at the tree, and a falling petal caught her eye. She followed it down until it passed below the cliff. She looked back up at the tree. "I suppose all we can do is go forward. Wherever that leads us."

She gathered a small pile of petals with her magic and spun them in a gentle breeze, scattering them around her and the white stone. She held onto one petal and idly spun it, examining it. "What now?" she asked. "What do we do? What do _I_ do?" She let go of the petal, letting it flutter softly onto the stone. "What didst _thou_ do, Tia? How didst thou lead after I had gone?"

She rested her head on her crossed hooves. "Thou toldest me it was peaceful. Thou toldest me everything was alright with Equestria, that I had done no lasting harm. But thou didst not tell me what you did. I know it must have been difficult, even for thee, to lead alone." She stretched out her wings and looked at a blossom before her. "How didst... how didst thou cope?" She levitated the blossom and slowly spun it. "Thou couldst not visit me. Thou hadst a populace who rejoiced whilst thou didst sorrow. Thou wert alone, truly alone, maybe more so than I was then." She sighed wistfully. "I am still sorry, Tia. I know thou forgavest me."

She shook her head, dropping the blossom. "And what of Sombra? What more could I have done for him? I tried to be like thee in consoling him, but it did not work." She closed her eyes. "Though, perhaps, redemption is a two-way street. I _sought_ thy forgiveness, and thou gavest me it. Sombra thought himself beyond mercy despite my efforts, and he took matters in his own hooves. A small part of me feels responsible for his soul's destruction, that I somehow could have done more for him, but I know it was ultimately his choice." She rested her head on the grass. "I hope, somehow, his soul was not destroyed but instead was saved. I hope he is there with thee, and thou forgavest him. He repaid for all he had done with his very soul; what more could he have done to be penitent?"

She looked back at the tree, letting the smells of it and the flowers nearby fill her lungs. It was no use to become melancholy again. "What art thou doing there? Dost thou raise the sun there? It was night when I visited." She sat, her imagination spinning up. "Or... or perhaps there is no sun. Maybe the stars and crystals give all the light you need. But thou must have a sun there. Ponies need day just as much as night, not just for light, but for warmth, too. Then again, there was no moon, either, and I remember feeling warm there regardless." She chuckled softly. "I should have asked thee when I was with thee." She looked at the blue and pink sky. "Maybe thou art flying far off, visiting those distant islands. Who lives there? How many islands and ponies are there? What does one _do_ there?"

She looked at the headstone again. Her reverie faded away, and she laid back down. "It is not fair. All those years. We should have been together." She stretched out her wings and settled herself. "We had lived together for only a moment, then, for a thousand years, apart. We finally reunited, but again for only a moment. At least this time will not be permanent either." She slowly closed her eyes, sniffing. "But how long will it be now? When can I see thee again? _Another_ thousand years? _Two_ thousand? _Ten_...?"

She lied in silence for a time, pondering. Stars started peppering the sky, and she toyed with them, creating ripples and flows. The warmth of the sun slowly began to fade away, and she knew she would have to do her duties soon. She stopped and looked at the tree again. "What if it _is_ forever? I..." She could feel her heart beating softly, and she was close to cursing it. "I know not if I can wait that long. That millennium, I... I was unable to grieve. I was intoxicated. All the feeling I had was hatred." She winced slightly. "Those years were bitter. Terrible. But at least I felt neither sorrow nor pain." She sighed. "Now I do not have that luxury. The first few months after thou wert gone were so difficult, so very difficult. I... I could not function properly. Every waking moment was regret, every breath was stolen from thee, every..."

Memories came back to her subtly, as though somepony had snuck stills into a slideshow. "Thou spakest to me about this already. Thou knowest what I felt. Thou forgavest me, and I you, but... Didst thou forgive thyself?" She stared down at her hooves. "I know not if I can. Perhaps thou wert able to, after all that time thou hadst alone. Perhaps not." She closed her eyes and huffed. "I need to stop." She rubbed her eyes. "I will not get anywhere thinking like this." She looked up at the tree again and spoke soflty. "I am sorry, Tia. I am trying, I really am."

Glancing at the orange-tipped branches and blossoms, she stood up, stretching. "Well, I suppose it is time then, hm?" She looked down at the headstone and breathed deeply. She walked over to one side of the tree and lit her horn. She closed her eyes and bowed, guiding the sun below the horizon. When the last of the sun's warmth slipped away, a different kind of warmth comforted her. It felt as though it came from within her own chest, within herself, but she knew it wasn't her. She smiled. Before she could walk to the other side of the tree, she realized the night would have a new moon. "Just like before," she said softly. Her horn lit up as she coaxed it from its hiding spot and placed it in the violet sky. The stars seemed to twinkle their approval and grew brighter.

She walked back to her spot and laid down again. The white headstone gleamed in the dark, casting tiny dancing shadows in the grass, on the tree and petals, and on her face and hair. She stared at it, caught up in solemn awe. The enchantment on the headstone itself was quite simple, but the effect it had was surreal. She shifted her gaze to the sky above, then to the grass and white stone, then to the tree. "Our own little Elysium," she whispered.

The warmth billowed within her chest, and she rested her head on the ground, letting a stray tear or two fall. "I will try, sister. No matter how long it shall be, I will try." She closed her eyes, sniffing. "I will try to forgive myself. To love myself. To move on. To live." She smiled. "Happily." The sounds of the world seemed to have vanished. All Luna could hear was her own soft breathing and an occasional breeze rustling the grass and blossoms. "Our own little Elysium," she said again softly.


	29. Return

**29**

 **Return**

When the war started, Equestria barely had a standing army of a few hundred in the form of the Royal Guard in Canterlot. Within a week, volunteers from all over the country strengthened the army to several thousand. Now, with the war finally over, all except those occupying Griffonstone during reconstruction were allowed to leave on the superclouds. They became a lot more joyous in their westward migrations, turning what had been platforms for war a mere week prior into cheerful ferries. Rainbow was surprised at how little the distance was between Griffonstone and Canterlot truly was without a war in the way.

On the second day's dusk, the ponies' capitol was on the horizon. It had been mostly cleaned up since the attack. Few buildings still bore black scars, and even then, they could just as easily pass as shadows. Celestia's tower still stood, stark white against the mountain and night sky. Others on board were filled with rapture at the renovation, but Rainbow looked earthward and searched for Ponyville. As Thunderhead cleared the Everfree, she finally saw what she had left behind so long ago.

"Oh, no." She sat on the cloud's edge, slowly shaking her head. "They hit here too?"

Soarin' sat down beside her, scanning the ground. After a few moments, he pointed downwards. "Look. Over by the fountain." Practically all of Ponyville had gathered around the fountain in town square, some holding giant banners, others flags.

"Well," Soarin' said quietly, nudging Rainbow with a smile, "don't let me hold you back from a hero's welcome." She looked down and pawed the cloud. His smile faded, and he laid a wing on her back. "You alright?" She said nothing. He looked at Ponyville. "I'm sure your friends are okay."

"I know they're okay," she said quietly.

"Is it the argument?" he asked.

She winced. "No. It's something else." She looked at him, her eyes glistening. "What's gonna happen now with the Wonderbolts?"

He sighed. "Dash, I think—"

"What do we do?" Her voice wavered. "What _can_ we do? It's just us now, Soarin'. I-I mean, we d-don't even know if the cadets are alive. Do we hold tryouts? _Should_ we hold tryouts?" Her eyes started to water. "H-how are we supposed to do this, the t-two of us? What're we gonna do, Soarin'? W-what do we—"

Soarin' kissed her cheek, and she stopped with a small gasp. Blushing, she looked at Soarin', who smiled and laughed nervously. "Sorry, Dash. I wanna talk too."

A tear escaped her eye. "I-I'm sorry. It's just..." She looked down, feeling stupid.

"No, no," he said soothingly, holding her closer. "Don't be sorry." She sniffed and leaned against his side, closing her eyes. Her head against his soft chest, she listened to his steady heart and tried to sync her breathing with his. They sat in silence for a while, and she smiled slightly. She felt warm. She felt safe.

Soarin' finally spoke, his voice sincere. "I know what you mean. I've been wondering about all that too, but…" He sighed. "Let's worry about the Wonderbolts later. Alright? Let's just be _done_ for a little while. You need to rest. We both do. We'll figure it all out later. And when we do, whatever we end up doing with the Wonderbolts, however we end up doing it, we'll be together. Okay?"

Rainbow sniffed and nodded slowly. "Okay." She hugged him tightly. "I love you, Soarin'," she whispered.

He smiled. "I love you too, Dash."

* * *

Rainbow flew a ways off, hiding herself from the town's gaze. She watched as other pegasi returned to their families. She could hear cheers and laughter, even from high in the air. Spotting a cloud, she landed, taking in the scene. Everypony was happy. They were home.

Rainbow looked for her friends—a pink blur zipping around everywhere, a purple dot prepping a speech—but she couldn't see them. As she searched, she saw a different side to the gathering. Ponies began leaving, some alone, others in families, heads down, comforting and holding one another. She was taken aback, an empty feeling in her stomach. They didn't know what happened to their loved ones? She glanced around again for her friends. Why weren't they here? Where were they?

Immediately, Rainbow thought of the castle. She got her bearings and began to fly over to Twilight's. After going around some low hanging clouds, she saw it too had been bombarded; although, the gigantic hole in the side of the castle looked odd to her. It wasn't clean enough. Half of it looked like it had regrown somehow, jagged purple and magenta spikes growing into the center. She looked up and saw the entirety of the top gone. She spied the gigantic spire laying flat on the ground next to a deep hole in the ground. She flew down towards the doors, but found they were locked. Remembering the hole in the wall, she flew back up and inside, feeling a bit stupid.

Through the hole, she descended into the library, or what was left of it. Papers and books were strewn all over the floor. Many of the shelves looked as though they had shattered as well, but Rainbow couldn't see any shards on the floor. A pile of books laid next to the doors leading to the rest of the castle. "Poor Twilight," Rainbow said to herself. "Probably went insane." She walked to the doors, careful not to disturb the contents on the floor.

She was met with complete darkness in the hallway. "Twilight? Spike? Starlight?" Each time she called, only a small echo replied. Leaving the door open to let some light shine through, she started flying slowly down the hallway. She checked a dozen empty rooms and flew down a flight of stairs, all the while calling her friends' names. She searched the entirety of the next floor, finding nothing. She found more stairs and moved to the next floor down, and again couldn't find anypony. A bit frustrated, she finally decided to fly all the way to the bottom, skipping a couple of floors. Seeing the giant crystal doors to the Map room again for the first time in so long, she ran excitedly to them and practically kicked them open.

An empty table welcomed her. She groaned. "Where the hell are they? Did they skip town or something?" Not knowing what else to do, she frowned and walked over to the circular table, the doors slowly closing behind her. The tiny representation of Equestria was still there, but something felt off. Looking closer, she saw most of the cities had changed in some way to reflect their real-life counterparts.

Parts of Canterlot were still blackened. Half of Ponyville looked like broken matchsticks. Most of Manehattan, Baltimare, and Fillydelphia were flattened into bits of glass. Griffonstone had changed too, its gigantic tree bearing the scars of the last weeks of the war. Towns in the south of Equestria had grown considerably. Appleloosa and Dodge Junction were hardly recognizable now, with new homes expanding outwards, and other small towns had popped up near them and over towards the west. Looking at the cities in the western coast of Equestria, she noticed they were unchanged, almost as if they never were involved in a war. She looked to the Frozen North, and, her heart dropping, the Crystal Empire was truly gone.

Rainbow glanced at her chair on the other side of the table and walked to it. A layer of dust greeted her. She wiped it clean with her wing, making a thin grey cloud in the air. She sat and stared at the map again. Where were the others? Why weren't they there to greet everypony? Did they just forget? She couldn't believe they would forget something as big as a homecoming. But if they didn't forget, why didn't they show up? Were they busy? Asleep? Could they just be away? She scoffed in spite of herself. _All_ of them at the _same_ time? But what else could it be? More and more questions nagged at her for a few minutes as she idly sat and waited. None of it made sense to her.

She looked up at the corner of the room and saw the fateful window was still open. A pang of guilt shot through her. "What am I even doing here?" she muttered. She wiped a stray tear and shakily stood to leave. She no sooner touched the door when she saw dim lights glow on the wall. She looked back at the table and saw all of the others' cutie marks appear, one by one, around Twilight's castle. With a yelp of excitement, she half flew, half ran back to the table. She waited for her mark to appear too, but it was absent.

"Well," Rainbow said to herself, "I guess they _will_ be here. Hopefully." She looked at the castle on the map again and mulled over again how she had last seen them. She had yelled at Twilight, and pretty much all of them. She had left, not with a goodbye, but with 'finally.' She glanced back at the window. They might not have forgiven her. Maybe that's why they didn't show up. They probably didn't want anything to do with her. She rested her head on the table. She didn't blame them if that was the case. Maybe they were actually glad she left and hoped she had—

She shook her head. No. No, they would never wish she had died. Not in a million years. Right? She rested her head in her hooves, muttering to herself.

Muffled sounds hit Rainbow's ears. She looked up at the doors. "That was fast," she said quietly to herself. "Where the hell _were_ they?" She quietly flew over and pressed an ear against the door. Her heart leapt in her chest as she heard hoofsteps. They came closer and closer, finally stopping just short of the door when someone else yelled.

"Twilight, hold on!" It was Rarity. Rainbow heard her run towards the door and stop.

"You were called too?" Twilight asked.

"Mhmm."

"I wonder if anypony else was," Twilight said. There was a pause for a moment, and she sighed. "Do you think this is... weird, that we're being called again?"

"I get what your saying," said Rarity. "The last time anyone was called was... you know. This _all_ feels a bit off now." There was silence for a moment. Then, Rarity said, "I wish Rainbow were here."

"I still feel terrible about it all," Twilight said. "What kind of friend was I? I told her to leave. I told her to go _die."_

"Oh, don't curse yourself over it, dear," said Rarity. "We all sort of let her run away. Or, at least, we didn't do much to stop her."

"But none of you yelled at her. I wish I could take it all back, tell her I'm sorry."

"Twilight, it's in the past. Rainbow probably forgot about it all once she won a few battles, and, wherever she is now, I don't think she cares."

"Yeah," Twilight said bitterly, "well, I just hope she took some of those bastards down with her."

"Twilight!" Rarity said, aghast.

"What, Rarity?!" Twilight snapped back. "They killed her!"

"Not that. I couldn't care less about those savages. I know what you mean, but I'm shocked you wanted her to _kill."_

Twilight growled and stamped her hoof on the floor. "Damn it, I didn't mean it like that, Rarity." She huffed. "I just don't want her to have died in vain, like she didn't help. Celestia knows she wanted to more than anypony."

"We won the war," Rarity said quietly. "That's not in vain."

"I hope _she_ knows that," Twilight mused. "I'm still pissed at what they pulled back there, going around with those dog tags and saying that Rainbow's isn't there along with the others." Her voice broke somewhat as it raised. "We just wanted her dog tags! Just her tags! That's it! Was that too much to ask? We just wanted _something_ to remember her by! It's bad enough already that we couldn't..." She tapered off and sniffed. "… couldn't give her a proper burial." After a small moment, Twilight started to cry. Rarity offered words of comfort, but the two still remained outside the doors, leaving Rainbow to her thoughts.

She sat on her haunches, completely nonplussed. They thought she was dead? She thought about the implications her supposed death had. If they thought she died, they wouldn't have been there to greet her. They also said they missed her. She suddenly felt happy, the happiest she'd felt in weeks. They cared, they cared! She wasn't hated or neglected or forgotten. A warm feeling spread from her heart. She stifled laughter she couldn't help. They cared! They were still her friends! On the verge of tears, she was about to burst into the hallway but stopped herself inches from the door.

They wouldn't recognize her. Her mane and coat were still dyed black and grey, as was her cutie mark. She sat back down, somewhat defeated. How could she convince them she was really her? They might think she's a changeling, or somepony who broke in, or somepony with a twisted sense of humor. She guessed she could just answer questions about her own life or theirs prove herself. Maybe she could just preform a sonic rainboom. Yeah, that sounded good. She got up and began to fly outside the one window when she had another thought. It was going on one in the morning. She'd wake up everypony from here to Canterlot with a rainboom. Getting frustrated now, she landed and began to pace the room.

She didn't know exactly what she was trying to avoid, anyway. They were going to question her and freak out regardless. So, why not just knock on the door and see what happened? She was almost afraid to. She knew they weren't angry with her, but she didn't know how exactly they'd react either. Well, she thought, there was no use sitting and thinking about it. She crept over to the doors, took a deep breath, and nudged them open.

Rarity and Twilight turned to look at her, startled that the doors suddenly opened. Twilight was shakily getting up, now wearing a worried look on her face. Their cutie marks were glowing. Rainbow was only halfway out of the room when she realized she didn't think this through enough. Twilight took a few steps toward her, staring into Rainbow's eyes.

"Now who are you?" Rarity said. "Why were you in there?"

Twilight's eyes widened, her pupils shrinking. She took a half step backwards. She continued to stare at Rainbow, taking short breaths, looking all over her, at her eyes, her face, her mane. Rarity looked from Twilight to Rainbow, both worried and confused as to what was going on. Rainbow folded back her ears and awkwardly started to walk backwards back into the room.

"Rainbow?" Twilight finally said, whispering quietly so Rarity didn't hear. Rainbow stopped, and Twilight took another step forward. "Is... is that you?" Rainbow stood still for a moment, then simply nodded. Twilight's knees shook. "Y-you're alive?" Rainbow smiled and took a step forward. Twilight's eyes teared up again, and she ran and hugged Rainbow. "I'm so sorry Rainbow!" she gasped. "Luna said you were alive, but... Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry—"

 _"You're_ sorry?" Rainbow chuckled in spite of herself. "I'm the one who—"

"Excuse me!" Rarity yelled. "What—"

"Rarity," Twilight said, turning around. "It's Rainbow!"

"That's not Rainbow!" Rarity yelled. "That mare's grey!"

"No, Rarity! It really _is_ Rainbow!"

Rarity took a step away from Twilight. "N-now what are you playing at?" She teared up and shook her head. "Rainbow's dead, and t-that mare, that _ghastly_ mare, looks _nothing_ like her." She pointed at Rainbow with a quivering hoof. "And you! What the hell do you think you're doing here?!"

"Rarity," Rainbow said, louder this time. Rarity retracted her hoof and stood still, her eyes now wide like Twilight's were. Rainbow smiled weakly. "It's me."

"But..." Twilight looked at Rainbow, her voice quieter. "How?"

Rainbow gasped softly. She felt a familiar something on her flank now. Glancing behind her, she saw her cutie mark shining through the ashen dye. She walked over to the lit patch of the hallway, revealing her glowing cutie mark, and the two gasped. Nopony spoke for a while, the two staring at Rainbow in wonder. Rainbow awkwardly walked back into the room, and the two silently followed.

Rarity caught up and looked over Rainbow. "Now why in Equestria did you dye your mane and coat? We hardly recognized you!"

Rainbow slowed a bit, the memory prominently making itself known in her mind. "Well..." The others looked at her curiously, and she stumbled in her thoughts. "It was, uh..." She looked down. "It was something me and Soarin' did... after the ambush." The other two quieted and slowed. "It was our way to kind of... grieve a-and… honor them, I guess. I dunno." Her heart hurt. She didn't want to talk much more about it, so she started to quiet her voice. "We replaced our armor too, retired the blue and gold, got grey and black..." She started mumbling, not looking at either of them.

Twilight shuffled awkwardly. "I didn't know that it... Rainbow, you didn't have to share that. I didn't know it had to do with..." She sighed.

"I think what Twilight's trying to say is," Rarity offered, "we didn't mean to put you in that sort of position, darling. We don't want you to feel pressured to tell us anything. Also," she grinned sheepishly, "terribly sorry for calling you ghastly."

Rainbow looked up and gave another weak smile. "You're fine. Anyway, how _did_ you two recognize me? I thought I'd have to answer a bunch of questions about myself or something."

"Well," Twilight said, "it was your eyes. And your voice. For me, at least." Rarity nodded. Twilight looked at Rainbow's face closer. "You might be grey, but your eyes—" She flinched. "Oh my gosh, Rainbow! What happened?"

"Huh? What about—oh." She closed her eyes and put a hoof up to her face, feeling the ridges. "It was just a... uh..." The two looked as though they had asked another soft subject, and Rainbow sighed. "Later."

Twilight peered at the Map. "Oh. It's all of us again." She looked at Rainbow. "I guess because of you."

Rarity huffed softly. "Well, we're going to be here until tomorrow."

"Why's that?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh," Rarity said. "Well, the others are out of town. Applejack and Applebloom went to Appleloosa to be with their family after Ponyville was bombarded."

Rainbow titled her head. "But what about Granny Smith and Big Mac? Did they... in the bombardment?" Rarity nodded solemnly, and Rainbow sighed. "Damn. Poor Applejack."

"As for Fluttershy," Twilight picked up, "she said that she was going to go to Cloudsdale to meet her folks so they could welcome her brother home."

Another terrible memory surfaced in Rainbow's mind. "Zephyr?" The two picked up on Rainbow's tone, and they looked at her with worry. Rainbow's ears fell. "Zephyr's dead."

Rarity put a hoof over her mouth and gasped softly. "That's horrible."

"Twilight," Rainbow said, "why didn't anypony know anything about this sort of stuff? I saw families at the fountain walking home, grieving. That's not right."

Twilight sighed. "I never knew anything about that. Hell, I doubt Luna did. All she had were numbers to work with. No one wrote down individual names—the Wonderbolts were the exception. I guess sending individual condolences just wasn't a priority of the air force."

"Where's Pinkie, then?" Rainbow asked wearily.

Twilight looked down, her eyes closed. Rarity cleared her throat. "We haven't heard from her in _months_. When you and the other Wonderbolts were reported dead, she..." Rarity glanced at Twilight. "She just... left."

"She blames me for your death," Twilight said, her head still down. "Me. Alone. She said if I had only kept you here, you wouldn't have died." Twilight took a shaky breath. "She ran off after saying that—I don't know where she went. But, what she said, it... it _stuck_ with me. At that moment, I stopped blaming you and blamed myself. I thought your death was on _my_ hooves, like _I_ wasn't a good enough friend to you. I regretted every day what I said to you when you left." She looked up at Rainbow, her eyes watering. "I'm so sorry. Sorry for not being patient with you, and not being a good friend, a-and—"

"Twilight," Rainbow said, "enough. I don't blame you one bit. You were doing what you though was right, and so was I. But, if anything, _I_ should be the one apologizing. I called you all cowards for listening to the Map—"

"And rightfully so!" Twilight interjected. Rainbow was taken aback, and Twilight quieted herself and explained. "By the time the Map allowed us to leave, there was nothing to be done; we could only deal with the aftermath. We were just fine staying here, but you were the only one brave enough to stand up to us and go to Canterlot. And, from what Luna told me, _you_ were the one who found her, _saved_ her. That's something we couldn't do sitting here with the Map. Without you, we would be down to just one princess."

Twilight smiled through silent tears and hugged Rainbow. "I'm just so glad you're okay," she said. Rarity joined the hug, also tearing up. Rainbow smiled, her heart rising from its sunken depths.


	30. Hope

**30**

 **Hope**

A faint glow and chiming filled the dark and quiet room where Applejack and Applebloom slept. Peeking one eye open, Applejack realized with a small start it was her cutie mark. Looking outside, she saw it was still the dead of night. Trying her best to put the call's last occurrence out of mind, she got up and stretched. The cutie mark's glow lit the room, and its chiming became louder. In the bed opposite of Applejack's, Applebloom began to stir.

"Ah, shoot," Applejack muttered. Thinking quickly, she grabbed her blanket and threw it over herself, dampening the light and chime. Applebloom seemed to settle and sleep on. Softly sighing, Applejack put on her hat and walked quietly to the door. She opened it, kicking off the blanket, and took one step into the hallway.

"Applejack?"

Applejack winced at her sister's tired voice. Her cutie mark illuminated her sister. Blinking and yawning, Applebloom sat and looked at her with a wearied face. She sniffed. "Ya gotta go?"

Applejack nodded solemnly. "Mhmm."

Applebloom sighed and lied down again. "Bye."

Applejack walked over the blanket and to Applebloom, who didn't acknowledge her. She sat at the bedside took off her hat. "Are you doing okay, sis?"

Applebloom turned her head away. "No," she mumbled.

Applejack's ears fell flat. "Because I'm leaving?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, Applebloom, but I have to—"

"Do you?" Applebloom interrupted. "Really? What happens if you don't?"

The argument painfully made itself known in her memories. "Bad things," she said quietly.

"But why do _you_ have to go? There's like five of ya still. Get Pinkie or Twilight to go instead."

Applejack had to look down and take deep breaths not to cry. She could see Rainbow in her mind. "I-I don't know. I just know it has to be me this time."

"It ain't fair." Applebloom unsuccessfully stifled a few sobs. She turned over and looked at Applejack. "Why did any of this happen? Why did Big Mac and Granny Smith die? Why can't we just be together and happy?"

Applejack sighed deeply and feigned a small smile. "I'm not sure, Applebloom. I've thought long and hard about that myself recently." She started gently petting her sister's mane. "The way I see it, we can all make choices, good and bad. We might like to think they only affect ourselves, but they affect others, whether we mean them to or not. Now, there are some who've made bad, bad choices, and they've hit us hard. They've hit everypony hard. It's life. It just happens to be real rough right now. But, this is what I want you to remember. We also have a choice in _how_ we react to others' actions. _How_ we react can make us better or worse as ponies. I know it ain't easy to move on after what's happened, but I want you to have hope and endure this trial the best you can."

An example sprung to Applejack's mind. "Think of a young tree, just a foot or two tall. Its roots ain't the deepest, and its trunk ain't the thickest, but it's alright where it is. Then, out of nowhere, it gets real windy for a long time. That little tree has two choices. One, it can give up. The roots can shrivel and tear, the trunk can bend and snap, and the tree'll fall over and die. Or, two, it can grow up. The roots can burrow deeper and more spread out, the trunk can grow thicker and stronger, and the tree'll survive and be even better because of the winds. Applebloom, we're like little trees. We didn't choose to have high winds, but we _can_ choose whether to give up or grow up."

Applejack wiped a tear from Applebloom's cheek. "Look," she continued quietly, "I know it ain't fair, Sugarcube. I know the past couple months've been bad, real bad. I know, with all that's happened, that you just want things to be normal, like they were before, and I do too. I know you miss them, and the farm, and, well, everything." Applejack sniffed and let a tear fall. "But I want you to know how _proud_ I am of you. You've been so brave and so good these past few months. You've helped me a lot getting through all this. I want you to keep being strong. Alright? Not only for Granny Smith and Big Mac, but also for Ma and Pa. I know that they're all proud of you too, just like I am."

Applebloom smiled. "Thanks," she said a bit sleepily.

Applejack glanced at her cutie mark and sighed. "I promise you, I'll be back as soon as I can once I'm done with whatever it is I have to do. Then we can head back home with everyone and get another barn raised."

"Braeburn's staying with us, right?" Applebloom asked hopefully.

Applejack nodded. "At least through applebuck season." She chuckled. "Sorry, Sugarcube, you're gonna have to deal with him for another few months."

"No," Applebloom said. "It'll be good not to have a big barn to ourselves, at least for a little while."

Applejack blinked away a tear. "I guess you're right." She put on her hat and walked to the door. "G'night, Applebloom."

Applebloom burrowed into her blankets. "Love you, sis."

"Love you too."

The door closed with a click, and the room was dark and silent once more.

* * *

"Where's Zephyr Breeze?"

Fluttershy scanned the skies, searching for a green pegasus amongst the hundreds flying all around her. Thunderhead had finally arrived minutes before, and the giant cloud plaza just outside Cloudsdale was joyful, for the most part. The families of the fallen Wonderbolts were there as guests of honor, in a sense, but they mostly kept to themselves. Occasionally, there would be a pegasus flying from Thunderhead with a modest wooden box strapped to their chest. The flocks of pegasi flying from Thunderhead were already thinning, and Fluttershy grew visibly anxious.

"Ah, don't worry," Fluttershy's father said, a hoof on her shoulder. "He'll turn up."

Her mother chuckled. "You know how he likes to take his time."

Fluttershy nodded and smiled slightly, but a sense of unease lingered. She wondered if her parents felt it too but were hiding it like she was. Surprising her a bit, her cutie mark started glowing and chiming. Nearby pegasi looked at her for a moment, recognized who she was, and went about welcoming friends and family home. Her parents, however, were amazed.

"What's happening?" her mother asked. "What's this about?"

"Oh, uh," Fluttershy said. "It's... You know how I'm on the Friendship Council with Princess Twilight?" Her parents nodded. "Well," she continued, "this calls me to her castle. It means there's a friendship problem somewhere."

"Does that mean you have to go?" her father asked.

"Not right this minute," Fluttershy assured. "The others will understand why I'm late."

A white pegasus with one of the wooden boxes noticed Fluttershy and her parents—probably due to the glowing cutie mark—and he flew down to them. He looked to be a higher-ranking soldier, as he was one of the few who still wore a uniform. He landed in front of the three, looked over Fluttershy quickly, and cleared his throat. "You're Fluttershy, right?" Fluttershy nodded, a terrible feeling blossoming in her chest. The pegasus sighed, sitting down. "I'm Bright Feather. I was Zephyr Breeze's captain in the air force."

In an instant, Fluttershy knew, and her knees buckled. With a gasp, she found herself on her stomach, trembling. Her parents looked between their daughter and themselves, still trying to understand what he meant. Bright Feather closed his eyes, muttering, and opened the box strapped to his chest with a wing. Fluttershy forced herself to stand. Inside the box were five neatly-ordered dog tags, and the ones in the middle bore her brother's name.

Fluttershy tried her best to suppress a yelp, but most of it escaped. Her parents came to her sides and looked in the box. Fluttershy's father began shaking his head, muttering "No" over and over while tearing up. Her mother stood dumbfounded, not saying a word. Fluttershy finally found her voice and looked at Bright Feather.

"How?"

The captain cleared his throat. "Our squadron was on a mission to cut off Griffonstone's supply lines from the east. Zephyr, along with these other four, were captured during the assault. We didn't know where they were held until we found them in some prison in the mountains." He gestured with his head to the tags. "Go on. Take them."

Fluttershy looked between her parents and then at the tags. She stretched out a trembling wing and picked the tags up by the small chain. She knew otherwise, but they still felt heavy. Zephyr's name glinted in the dim light of the crescent moon. Looking at her parents again, she put the dog tags on. She then froze, looking at Bright Feather again.

"Am I allowed to wear these?"

"Oh," he nodded, "of course, of course." Fluttershy returned a smile and let the tags rest against her chest. They were like ice, and she let out a whimper. Her father hugged her, then her mother, and all three bowed their heads and closed their eyes.

"I just wanted you to know," Bright Feather said, "Zephyr was a good stallion. Complained a bit in the beginning, but that passed. He wanted to make you all proud, and I'm sure he did." He gestured to the scene around him. "His sacrifice wasn't in vain. I offer you my most sincere condolences."

Fluttershy's father looked up at Bright Feather and nodded. "Thank you," he said quietly. Bright Feather stood, saluted the three, and flew up again, searching for the families of the other four pegasi. Fluttershy and her mother looked up after him. Her father sighed and began walking somberly towards the city, and her mother followed. Fluttershy didn't move, and the other two stopped.

"Sweetie," her mother said, "aren't you coming home with us?"

"Well," Fluttershy said weakly, gesturing to her glowing cutie mark. "I better go."

"Are you sure, honey?"

Fluttershy nodded. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep. I need something to do."

"Can you fly all the way there by yourself?" her father asked.

Fluttershy hesitated. "Yes," she said, though unsure if she really could. If she had to, she reasoned, she could sleep on some clouds midway. "I'll be fine," she told her parents. "I just need some time to, uh... to be alone."

Her father nodded, blinking away tears. "We understand. We love you, dear."

Fluttershy smiled. "I love you, too." Her parents turned and again walked towards Cloudsdale, her mother's head resting on her father's shoulder. Fluttershy sighed and looked down at the dog tags. "Love you too, Zephyr."

* * *

Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich were tasked by the mayor of Las Pegasus to decorate the city's largest plaza before the pegasi returned home from the war. Pinkie finished helping somepony with a fireworks display and began walking around with a smile. This was her bread and butter. Cheese was running around, making sure the others who were helping were doing a good job. The plaza thus far was half-decorated, but at their rate, it would be done within an hour.

Pinkie felt something on her flanks and jumped. She noticed her cutie mark began to glow and chime. She looked at it in surprise, then anger. She furrowed her brow and grumbled.

"What's going on?" Cheese asked, trotting up to her. "Something wrong?" Pinkie grumbled but didn't say anything. Cheese noticed her cutie mark and tilted his head. "Why's that glowing?"

"It's nothing," said Pinkie irritably.

Cheese raised an eyebrow. "That isn't nothing." Pinkie brushed past him, and he followed her. She pretended not to notice and instead looked around at the decorations. Cheese walked beside her, getting her attention. "What's up, Pinkie? Why are you so angry all of a sudden?"

"It's none of your business."

Cheese spoke carefully. "Could you at least tell me what it means when your cutie mark glows?"

Pinkie sighed in exasperation. "When our cutie marks do... _this,"_ she gestured to it with contempt, "it means we go to the castle in Ponyville."

"Is that why you're all worked up? Because you have to leave?"

"No," she said curtly. "I'm not going."

Cheese scrunched his eyebrows. "Huh?"

"I'm not going," she repeated.

"Why not?"

Pinkie looked up at the high buildings surrounding the plaza. "I didn't leave Ponyville just to travel with you and make fun parties. I never want to go back." Cheese still looked lost, so she continued. "It's Twilight. I don't want to have _anything_ to do with her."

"But why? I thought you two were friends."

"Not anymore."

"Is whatever happened between you two worth leaving behind everyone else?"

Pinkie groaned. "You don't get it!"

"Then help me understand!"

Pinkie stopped and stomped on the ground. "She killed Rainbow Dash!"

The helpers around them quieted and stared at the two. Cheese sheepishly looked around, clearing his throat. "Carry on!" he said. "Keep working!" The helpers slowly returned to their work and conversations, and Cheese turned his attention back to Pinkie, who now sat and looked down.

"You never told me that," he said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "But I still don't... _get_ it. Why do you think _she_ killed Rainbow?"

Pinkie sniffed. "She let her go that night," she said quietly. "If Twilight had just kept her, Rainbow would be alive."

"But it wasn't Twilight who killed her, griffons did." She turned away from him, and he sat next to her. "Pinkie, you can't put blame on Twilight like that. It isn't right."

"Then who _do_ I blame?"

Cheese thought for a moment and winced. "Maybe, and I know you're not going to like this, but... maybe it's just Rainbow's fault." Pinkie whimpered, and Cheese sighed. "Knew you wouldn't like it. But, think about it. Rainbow is the one who wanted to go. It was her choice to leave. If _anypony_ at all, its Rainbow's fault."

Pinkie looked at Cheese. "But Twilight could have—"

"—made her stay," Cheese continued. "I know. But, aren't _you_ Rainbow's friend too?" Pinkie froze up. She hadn't thought about that before. Her heart sank, and a tear made its way down her cheek. Cheese held her in a half hug. "Maybe you're angry with Twilight because you're angry with yourself."

Pinkie' hair deflated. Her thoughts jumbled in her mind for a moment. "I don't know," she said quietly. "I don't know anymore." She suppressed sobs, exhaling shakily. "I g-guess it _is_ just as much my fault as it is hers that Rainbow's dead."

"No, Pinkie," Cheese said, holding her closer. "That's not what I meant. It's _not_ your fault, not anypony's. You didn't know what would happen to her, and you couldn't have prevented it."

Pinkie shoved Cheese away, a bit angry again. "How's that supposed to make me feel better?"

"I'm saying you don't need to blame anypony for what happened, especially not yourself."

"But you just said that _I_ could have—"

"As an example," Cheese interrupted, "of why you shouldn't blame Twilight." He sighed. "Just go, Pinkie. Go to Ponyville. If not for Twilight, then for Rarity, or Applejack, or Fluttershy. You can't just leave them. You can't let one thing ruin this friendship. I know you're better than that."

"But how do I face Twilight now?"

Cheese shrugged. "I think that's something you'll have to work out for yourself."

Pinkie looked at her cutie mark and then at the plaza. She sniffed, speaking wearily. "Okay. You win. I'll go. Just, uh," she gestured to the decorations, "you make sure everything here is alright."

Cheese smiled and saluted. "Can do."

She walked to him and hugged him. "Thank you, Cheese. And sorry for getting angry."

"Not a problem. Be safe."

* * *

Shortly after the small and happy reunion, and knowing the others wouldn't arrive until much later, Twilight had brought out three spare beds and set them up surrounding the Map. It didn't take much more convincing for everypony to rest for a while. Even with their cutie marks chiming and glowing, they all soon fell asleep. Not all slept peacefully, though. Rainbow tossed and turned, murmuring quietly, her dreams plagued by worries made manifest.

Before the sun had risen, the doors to the map room slowly opened, and Fluttershy poked her head in. She crept inside, closing the door quietly as she went. Looking at the beds and their occupants, she stopped when she saw a grey mare. Puzzled, she flew quietly over to her. The mare looked familiar, but Fluttershy couldn't place where she had seen her before. She couldn't help but wince at the scars on the mare's face. Her attention was drawn to the sheets by a glow forcing its way through accompanied by a faint chime. Her eyes widened. "Rainbow Dash?" she breathed.

She spun around and flew to the Map. She found all of their cutie marks orbiting the castle, including Rainbow's. Trying to keep herself calm and quiet, she found Twilight's bed and flew to it. Hesitantly, she shook her friend softly.

Twilight woke slowly at first but snapped awake at seeing Fluttershy, who backed away. Blinking in the dark, Twilight pushed herself up to sit. "How did you get here so fast?" she asked.

"I just flew," Fluttershy said. "Cloudsdale isn't that far."

Twilight crept out of bed, stretching. "Is Pinkie or Applejack here?"

"Um," Fluttershy said, "no, I'm alone." Twilight nodded sleepily. Fluttershy's eyes darted to the grey mare still asleep. "Twilight?" she asked cautiously. "Is that... Rainbow Dash?"

"Oh!" Twilight said, starting. She stuttered for a moment. "Yes, yes that's Rainbow!" she whispered excitedly. "She arrived just a few hours ago!"

"But the newspaper..."

Twilight shook her head. "It was wrong. Rainbow survived the attack, along with one other Wonderbolt—Soarin', I think."

"But why is she grey? And what happened with the scars?"

"She—" Twilight stopped and thought for a moment. "... would probably like to tell you herself." She saw a glint of light from the dog tags around Fluttershy's neck and winced. "She told me about Zephyr, too," Twilight continued quietly. "I'm so sorry."

Fluttershy looked at the tags and sighed. "I'll be okay." She glanced behind her at Rainbow.

"We could wake her up," Twilight said.

"Oh, no," Fluttershy said, turning back around. "I wouldn't want to disturb her."

Twilight smiled and walked towards Rainbow's bed. "Come on. I know she wants to see you as much as you want to see her."

Fluttershy followed Twilight hesitantly and stood behind her. Twilight gently roused Rainbow, and she woke with a small jerk. Twilight whispered something to her, and she stepped out of the way. Rainbow saw Fluttershy and perked up. She quickly got out of bed and walked to Fluttershy, who was wide-eyed and rigid.

Rainbow smiled. "Hey, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy studied her face for a moment. Her lips began to tremble, her eyes began to water, and she hugged Rainbow with a small cry. Twilight watched with a tired smile. Rainbow closed her eyes and hugged Fluttershy tightly.

"I missed you, too," Rainbow said.

* * *

By sunrise, everypony in the castle was awake. Their cutie marks still glowed, but they figured Pinkie and Applejack would be there soon enough. They had breakfast together with the other three occupants of the castle. Starlight, Sunburst, and Spike were all confused to find a grey mare eating with them and shocked when they realized who she was. After they ate, Rarity ran back into town, saying she had a surprise for Rainbow. A little while later, she returned with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, the latter of whom was near-hysterical with joy. With each passing minute, Rainbow's heart swelled.

Afterwards, they all returned to the map room to wait for Applejack and Pinkie. Starlight suggested waiting at the train station, but Rarity posed the map room would be much more meaningful. Spike, however, grew impatient and went to the station anyway. Scootaloo, wearing a giant grin, never left her spot under Rainbow's wing. Twilight voiced her doubt about Pinkie actually coming, but both Fluttershy and Rarity assured her she would. Spike came running back right after, telling everyone the two were on their way.

A few minutes later, the doors to the room slowly opened. Everyone turned and saw Pinkie and Applejack standing in the doorway, their flanks glowing.

"I reckon we'll go to Vanhoover," said Applejack. "I just got this feeling that—" She stopped, throwing a hoof out to stop Pinkie. The two stared at the group all looking excitedly at them. "Uh," Applejack said awkwardly, "howdy."

Rainbow sighed in relief. The two looked at the group with confusion, walking slowly over to them. Twilight tried not to stare at Pinkie. Rainbow got up, nodding to Scootaloo, and she flew over to meet her friends. She landed in front of them and was shocked at how utterly exhausted they looked. Applejack looked at Rainbow's cutie mark and gasped. "Rainbow?" she breathed. Rainbow nodded once, and Applejack ran to hug her.

Rainbow looked past Applejack at Pinkie, who hadn't moved, and she couldn't help but feel hurt. Applejack looked between the two and stepped to Rainbow's side. Pinkie studied her for a few moments more, glancing between her glowing cutie mark and at her eyes. She took a deep breath. "Are you... _really_... Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow smiled, seeing a chance. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake—"

 _"Dashie!"_ Pinkie tackled Rainbow, laughing and crying. "It's you! It's really you! You're alive! You're alive! You're here and you're alive!" She continued to cry over Rainbow, loosening her hug.

Rainbow couldn't help but grin. She was finally home.


End file.
